Shattered or Reborn?
by TenraiTsukiyomi
Summary: During the Shattered Shaft Lesson, something unintentionally went wrong and changed Ichigo in a way Urahara didn't think it would. While Ichigo did not believe in God, Karma was a constant bitch in life; and right now, some god or Karma seemed to have it out for our favorite strawberry. Warning: FemIchigo
1. Shattered Chains

**Okay~ This little idea hit me in class some days ago and it wouldn't leave me alone lol. **

**Notice: I may or may not update this regularly, the same goes for my other stories. For now, I will be updating each one that has my inspiration on high, and since this got my attention... O-O Sorry for any errors and mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

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_**~~Chapter 1. Shattered Chains~~**_

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Jinta gawked, Tessai hummed, and Ururu squeaked. All were in the state of disbelief and amusement.

Murderous, angry and royally pissed off type of vibes rolled off one Kurosaki Ichigo in waves.

Urahara snapped open his fan, laughing nervously and failing to suppress his inner scientist that was screeching "HOW?" and "IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!" and... for a test to be conducted RIGHT NOW.

As you know, those Shinigami bastards with stick up their asses from Soul Society had captured Kuchiki Rukia, leaving Ichigo in the brink of death thanks to a certain captain that had skewered him. Ichigo had been found and healed by Urahara, in which then the older man had offered to train him in an attempt to become strong to infiltrate and battle against Soul Society. They had gone through Ichigo being utterly bested by Ururu, which had been the first part of the training; god, the humiliation he had faced, a little girl had beaten him! Then, the second part of the training began, and that was where things had gone FUBR.

Fucked up beyond Reason.

The Shattered Shaft; that was the name of the second lesson, and the end and start of Ichigo's normal life.

Everything had gone as expected, if you discounted the fact that Ichigo had almost been turned into a Hollow, meeting Zangetsu, surviving and becoming a Shinigami just the right time. Afterwards, the 3rd lesson had begun which was more easy to comprehend but more challenging since he had to knock GetaBoshi's hat off his head; the old man had some fast feet there. Ichigo had managed to complete the third lesson, but the reiatsu he had used drained him and he had fallen unconscious.

Too bad that Ichigo, amidst his rush of adrenaline and pain and anger and desperation, had not noticed that his Shinigami uniform was baggier than before, nor did he notice that his chest felt slightly heavy, neither did he noticed that his voice was very different. Ichigo, being the naïve idiot he was, hadn't noticed anything.

The same went to Urahara and his companions, they hadn't noticed anything until they had reached Ichigo and hauled him to a futon where he would wake up and begin his training; only when Ururu had shyly commented on feeling something soft did the ignorant people notice.

And just in the right moment too. Jinta spit out the drink he had gulped down, Tessai dropped his box of things in shock, and Urahara just choked on his spit and almost tripped over nothing. Ururu, being the only one brave enough with some bullying in Jinta's part, had shakily checked and confirmed it.

Breasts.

Kurosaki Ichigo, a healthy and 100% boy of 15 years old, had feminine organs: Breasts. And now that they really looked at him, Ichigo's hair was longer (reaching his shoulders) and he had curves where he was not supposed to have, and they were **feminine**. Ichigo's skin gained a feminine-like traits among other things. Of course, they had chickened out in checking if he had his... er... family jewels.

They had been dumbfounded, and all descended into hell when Ichigo woke up and discovered the nasty surprises. Ichigo denied any proof that showed he had shrieked like a girl. But one thing was for sure, Kurosaki Ichigo was pissed off and humiliated; it only got worse when he didn't feel his bits between his pants!

"Explain. NOW." Ichigo growled, angry and humiliated. He was furiously glaring at Urahara.

"Haha... Calm down, Kurosaki-san." Urahara hid a grin behind his fan; this was a new discovery! His scientist part begged him to ask questions and conduct tests, but he pushed it down. "I don't know why you... ehm!...changed. But I have a theory."

"And!?"

Urahara waved his fan thoughtfully, considering his theory and telling the attentive group. "As you see, the Chain of Fate is a delicate thing. When a Plus goes into Encroachment, it is usually 'eaten' and their soul is destroyed bit by bit, hence the mouths you saw, for when one explodes and becomes a Hollow. There has been tests with the Encroachment, and it is possible to survive but one can lose things like voices, eyesight, smell—"

Jaw dropping with disbelief and anger, Ichigo yelled. "Wait a minute! You mean you made me go through all that shit knowing I could end up useless!?"

Ignoring her (Kurosaki-san's attitude reminded Urahara of various women he had met, so that checked off another girl trait; Kurosaki-san will lose his remaining male pride if she continued like this...), Urahara continued. "—but even then, happenings like those are rare. However, your situation is new." He eyed Ichigo's new... form in amusement, receiving a heated glare that tried to bore holes into him. "You managed to resist and survive it, but you were changed into a —"

"A girl!" Jinta finally reacted and burst into laughter. Oh god his stomach! Tears gathering at the corner of his eyes, he managed to gasp out. "You changed into a girl! I knew you were a pansy!"

"So~" Urahara continued, eyes curling into an upside U. "I think you know what happened..." He unsuccessfully hid a small snicker.

Ichigo looked horrified and disbelieving. "YOU MEAN THE DAMN CHAIN ATE MY **MASCULINITY**!?" His voice even sounded like a girl. Kami above!

"Most likely." Urahara fanned himself with a cheery grin.

Tessai moved a full body mirror so that it was in front of Ichigo, making his jaw drop at the person he glimpsed. The reflection mirrored his action, looking back at Ichigo with equally horrified eyes. Slowly, Ichigo raised a hand, and the mirror copied him. He stuck out his tongue, and the mirror did the same.

Orange, slightly spiky hair rained down the person inside the mirror, with a pair of wide-set, chocolate eyes staring back into Ichigo's own narrowed eyes. Frantically, Ichigo threw the sheets off him, and he glimpsed the mirror doing the same. A very cute girl mirrored any actions Ichigo did. She was a bit short, and if Ichigo had to guess her height, she would just reach Inoue's nose. She had peach-colored skin and a petite body, with curves that accented her well and a pair of not too big but not too small breasts. One could even call the girl a doll, and with the way the black Shinigami Uniform was against her body, she was a cute looker.

But this was official, his situation was FUBR.

He couldn't believe it; he refused to believe that the girl in the mirror was him. He was, and still is, a BOY!

"Are you mocking me, old man?" Ichigo asked darkly, Tessai just coughed a negative.

Then, Ichigo stiffened with mortification when his upper arms accidentally brushed the cargo on his chest. He jerked his arms far away from the objects and his face turned beet red in embarrassment and horror. He did just not touch, brush, poke, whatever at those things, right? Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! He was so dead; well, he was already part dead...

"Saa~~ Since the result of the Shattered Shaft Lesson was entirely up to you, your gender switch is in no way my doing~" Urahara sang cheerfully.

Clenching his hands (he refused to reflect on the thought that they were dainty and feminine-looking; and he wasn't a girl, he was a boy god dammit!) and restraining himself from picking Zangetsu and kill Urahara, Ichigo glared at him with deep, murderous intent. "You sound pretty cheerful for someone who is not at fault." muttered the orangette darkly, keeping HIS hands away from his new bits. "Reverse this!"

"Maa~ Maa~ No need to be so loud~" Urahara grinned that infuriating, mocking and amused grin of his. "Did I forgot to mention that once the Chain of Fate is 'eaten', there is no way to get those pieces back?"

"How is this even possible? I was born a boy and I didn't receive any goddamn surgery."

"The Chain literally ate your soul, Kurosaki-san, this is not a matter of physical body, but spiritual." Urahara replied. "Whatever affects the soul affects the mentality and physical state of a person; you just received the end of the stick when it literally changed your body."

Cold, freezing ice engulfed his insides, dread and horror clinging to him like a shadow as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "...What do you mean by that? No, don't answer; where the hell is my body!?"

"U-Um... K-Kurosaki-san..." Ururu spoke up timidly, dragging behind her a certain human body of a certain person. Likewise, the changes were equal to Ichigo's current form, making her choke the outrageous impossibility of it all.

"So~" Urahara chirped, continuing what he was saying. "You could say that your masculinity is lost forever, Kurosaki-san." Slight pity were in his eyes, but it was easily overtaken by amusement.

Bastard.

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo sourly asked. "If this is true, shouldn't I be genderless? How the hell did I turn into a girl?"

"Maybe cause you are girly in heart and soul, strawberry." Jinta sniggered, and the mentioned strawberry punched him on the head.

"Who knows?" Urahara shrugged nonchalantly. "Matter of the soul isn't completely known to man, it is still as mysterious as the universe."

"Great..." Ichigo ran a hand over his hair, frustrated. "Now what? Goat-face, Yuzu and Karin are going to get on my hide..." He can't just return home like this; how the hell could a boy explain he had gained boobs and lost his family jewels in the span of 3 days? This was beyond crazy! His pride was taking huge blows too. The humiliation.

"Maybe tell the truth?" Jinta picked his nose boredly.

"Wow! You are such a genius! Perhaps I should go like: Hey, goat-face, Yuzu, Karin, because I managed to become a Shinigami I became a girl; no, I can't reverse it, I need it to go to Soul Soci- AND I WOULD HAVE TO BE STUPID TO DO THAT! TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!" Ichigo yelled and glared at the brat that was proving to be more annoying than ever. "And not only my family, there is still school!"

"Kurosaki-san." Urahara said solemnly, sobering into a serious face. "I would like to know if you would continue your training."

"Wha?" Ichigo whipped her—**his** head towards him, incredulous. "Of course I do! I have to save Ruk—"

Urahara cut her off, suddenly commenting. "The male and female anatomy are very different from each other, be it in balance, muscle, strength, speed..." He fanned himself nonchalantly. "You may not even have the ability to fight as well as before, so this rescue plan of yours may result in a failu—"

"BULLSHIT!" Ichigo snarled. "There won't be a failure, I swear on it. I don't care if I have to do it all the way like this, but no way in hell I am giving up on saving Rukia!"

Blinking at the sudden outburst, a smile slowly formed as Urahara smirked. "I admit this turn of events were unexpected, so I wasn't ready for a female—"

"Boy! I am a boy!" Ichigo hissed.

"Hah! Those things say the contrary." Jinta shot back, a finger mockingly pointing at certain cargos in Ichigo's chest.

"Shush, Jinta-kun." Tessai smacked the young child over the head, adjusting his dark glasses.

Urahara continued as if he had never been interrupted. "—to be my little student." He snapped his fan close, standing up. "We will continue the schedule I had originally planned for your male—"

"Originally?" Ichigo's eyebrow twitched madly. "I am still a boy! Don't talk to me as if I am not one!"

"—self. However, since you need to grow accustomed to fighting as well as a boy with that body, the training will be harsher so that you may adjust and improve quickly at the same time." Urahara finished, humming as he padded towards the shoji doors, opening them and he looked over his shoulder. "The training starts now, follow me."

Reaching to the right and picking up Zangetsu, the orange-haired girl— boy! I meant boy, stood up but stumbled, almost falling down, and he blinked, confused about why he had stumbled.

"By the way~ While a boy's balance focuses on the shoulders, a girl focuses on the waist and hips~" Urahara called back cheerfully, enjoying the way his new student was struggling, was this what teachers felt like? Should he feel guilty? ...Nah! Not to mention that he was collecting data and teaching Kurosaki-san at the same time; two birds with one stone. "You should also walk as if you are a girl, which you are, if you want to be as proficient as before; walking like your body is taller and more muscled than your current self may result in a bad end~"

"One of these days... I swear I will kill you... You just see..." And other curses under his breath, Ichigo gritted his teeth, swallowing as he tried to do just that. He is a boy goddamnit! With his pride slightly crushed, he managed to catch up with Urahara and he tried to adjust to the new stance he had when walking. It was happening almost too fast, _too fast_ for a healthy male.

Walking away to the training grounds underneath his shop, Urahara glanced at the boy-girl, calculating things and muttering things under his breath.

Kurosaki-san's training would have to be upgraded, she would have to relearn how to get in her stances and her reflexes, along with the initial plans he had. Being a girl was a problem, but it could prove an advantage if he taught Kurosaki-san the correct way AKA the black cat way; he wondered if he should train her the same way Yoruichi had trained to get herself in shape. Oh well, Kurosaki-san being a girl was good too; it meant that people might underestimate her more (her petite and **seemingly** weak body helped), and that was a good thing. Urahara had lost count on how many people had fallen to Yoruichi when they had underestimated her just because she was a girl.

It would be interesting (and amusing) to teach a former boy, now girl, how to get stronger, albeit Urahara was a bit at fault for Kurosaki-san's situation; he did push the Kurosaki teen into the hole and forced him to begin the 'lesson'.

Although he sure as hell wasn't going to interfere with Kurosaki-san's girl problems like the period of women.

*CRASH* *BANG* *THUMP*

That, and if Kurosaki-san still continued rebelling against her current body, like keeping her hands away in an awkward angle, he would have to force her to forget those issues. It would do no good if she were to enter in battle that way, and Urahara knew he would have to get her accustomed pretty soon; time was precious and **that person** was still moving. Urahara couldn't let that person move any further.

Urahara also wondered how long it would take for Kurosaki Isshin to hunt him down for answers on 'why the hell was his son a girl?' thing. Maybe he should get a camera installed around Kurosaki-san so that he could capture the expressions? Yoruichi's and Kurosaki-san's friends' too.

Slowly getting up from his accidental fall, Ichigo warily eyed Urahara; he didn't like Getaboshi's grin.

Ignoring that he's now a girl and bearing with all the recent events, Ichigo comforted himself with the fact that soon he would save Rukia, his friend and the one who had saved him and his family.

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**End of this chap. Felt like doing something like this, a FemIchigo I mean. I am a fan of genderbender, if you don't like you can go read other fics. O-O This just hit me in the middle of imagining the scene where the Chain of Fate of Ichigo was eating itself... Originally I had meant to make Ichigo a girl since birth with a split personality (gotten in the Shattered Shaft), but decided on doing this since I wanted to try the 'a boy since birth turns into a girl' type of scenario. **

**I am trying to make Ichigo reject his genderbent since it is just a shock, I doubt any of you boys would like to turn into a girl. Later, I will try to make Ichigo SLOWLY accept his own 'fate' as a girl. I am sorry if I made him OOC. Ichigo, for now, refers him/herself as a boy, but I plan to slowly change that. Of course, the same can't be said for other people where sometimes they permanently dub Ichigo as 'her' despite his/her protests and threats. XD**

**This may be a stupid and awkward question... But do Shinigami girls have the monthly sickness? *that sickness that gives mood swings* X=X They are basically souls, but they bleed and get sick like normal humans do, and well, I assume that other normal symptoms are the same? **

**If there is anything wrong in this, please notice me. XO**

**Please leave a review on your way out.  
Suggestions on preventing OOCness, among other things, are welcomed.  
TenraiTsukiyomi**


	2. Enter Soul Society

**Thankyou for the reviews, favorites and follows! And some pairings from cannon (maybe) won't be displayed in this fic. Just a warning.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

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_**~~Chapter 2. Enter Soul Society~~**_

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The days Ichigo had spent training were complete hell. Trying to kill him was a sure way to get her—him to improve, and all the extra harsh training did give him an edge with this body.

For example, the female body did move different from the male body, and the speed and strength is divided; while his former body had more strength, this body had less but more speed to compensate, provided he learned how to move correctly of course. The first day he had tried to think about how he should move the limbs and all, but then, after dodging some life-taking strikes of Getaboshi, he had just decided to go with the flow; it came easier after that.

Hell did not consist just of that, nothing could be that simple, of course not.

Ichigo still resented Getaboshi and his gang when they laughed at his personal problem, screw them being his trainers. Everyday, after training, he just had to take a damn bath, and while he did appreciate the heavenly water, it was the problem of being** naked** that terrified him.

Come on! He had a body of a girl! How the hell could he be calm when he was stark naked!? In fact, he shouldn't even have the body of a girl!

Of course, being the dedicated tortu—trainer he was, Getaboshi just had to do the deed and train AKA attack Ichigo until he was very dirty, leaving the strawberry with no resistance of getting in the hot water. Ichigo swore, with a red face, that he would get back at Getaboshi for all this humiliation, and let's not count the days where he had to change out of his tattered and bloodied clothes.

After a few days of doing the same routine of bathing and changing, Ichigo got pretty accustomed to it and wasn't sent into cardiac arrest whenever it happened. Of course, sh—he still had one when he firmly looked or touched her—his sensitive feminine parts, and when he had to go through the bathroom; he already dreaded the day he would have to enter a public GIRL's room.

But now, training was over and Ichigo was sent away to spent, probably last, some time with her—his friends and family, but before that, Getaboshi had given him something.

"What the heck is this crap?" Ichigo deadpanned, in her—his human body and holding up a collar-like thing up to eye level. It was entirely black, with a few white lines and a button-like paint. "It better not be another useless thing that you want me to test." Considering that Getaboshi always got her—him into humiliating positions, Ichigo thought that it was justified to be wary. (The color is like the collar he gets after the 17 months timeskip, but with the Neuro Link shape from Accel World; the color is the same from after timeskip in Bleach mind you)

"How cold." Urahara chuckled, holding his fan in front of his face. "It is a device that I created for you." Ichigo's eyes narrowed warily. "Relax, it is harmless, and you will find it useful."

"Hard to think when I don't know what it's for." Ichigo flatly stated.

"Some patience would be nice." Urahara whined, smiling with a carefree air around him. "That, is what is going to hide the fact that your are a girl."

Ichigo perked up as soon as sh—he heard that, and the orangette looked at him expectantly. "And how?"

"Put it on first." Urahara simply told the orange-haired girl, who scowled darkly, before putting on the collar with great reluctance. Handing her a mirror, he watched as Kurosaki-san blinked in surprise, seeing her once male face looking back at her. Urahara smiled cheekily. "That collar will create a sort of shell around you, making the illusion that you are still a boy."

"My body is stiff." Ichigo remarked, frowning and rolling his shoulders.

"You didn't think that all would come easily, right?" Urahara chirped, snapping his fan open and fanning his face. "By putting the collar on, it does create the illusion of you being a boy, but the shell around you also stops you from moving as proficiently, like fighting or even running. Of course, if you pull the collar off, your body will return to its normal proficiency."

"So the thing acts like a limiter too?" Ichigo asked, fingering the collar around his neck, but sh—he still frowned. "If this works like that, why is my body still a girl?" Despite looking in the mirror and seeing his boy face, he still had the body of a girl when he looked at himself.

"Well, you can't be fooled by your own memories. Also," Urahara answered, confusing Ichigo with that part. "It also only works if someone hasn't seen your current self, if they have, it is useless; there are slight mistakes when you make contact or fight with someone too."

"I see, thanks." Ichigo called, turning away and walking home.

Behind his fan, Urahara smiled grimly as he watched Kurosaki-san walk away. The way Kurosaki-san still denied being a girl could be harmful, and this way of forcing her to accept it had both pros and cons. Kurosaki-san had to admit that the her of now was strong in her own right, and that not all girls were fragile; having being a boy since birth and not going nuts after this, Urahara was relieved about Kurosaki-san's mental capacity.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he did a 'Eureka!' moment. "Ah, I knew something was missing..." Urahara sweatdropped with a sheepish expression. "I forgot to tell Kurosaki-san that the device automatically turns off if she falls unconscious..." That, and other things...

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After a few days of spending time with her—his family and friends, Ichigo concluded that the device did work after all. They still treated him as if s—he had been a boy, although once or twice s—he had to wonder about which bathroom to take. Technically, he was a girl now, but thanks to the device he looked like a boy to the others. Once again, he cursed Getaboshi and his genderbent for getting him accustomed to toilets and the way he had to go.

Then, there was the confusing problem of being a girl. A few days after being one, Ichigo had noticed that s—he ocassionally slipped into calling himself a 'she', and he was very, very bothered by that. It had only been a few days! There's no way in hell he could have accustomed that quickly! And who knows, maybe he can get changed back in the future!

Wishful thinking in his part, but s—he couldn't help it. Sh—He could be considered somewhat of a freak now, who the hell could go and say that they changed into the opposite gender!? Sure there are feminine boys and boyish girls, but never a boy turning completely into a girl or vice versa, organs and bits and all!

Better make something good out of it before the cat came out of the bag. Ichigo wasn't as idiotic as to believe that he could forever keep... up... this... façade...

Hey, wait a minute!

Ichigo stopped in mid-stride, blinking incredulously. "Why the heck am I thinking about these things!? I should be focusing on getting to Getaboshi's place and saving Rukia!" He began sprinting, cursing and groaning. "I knew being a girl had more side-effects than just the bathroom! That reminds me, I should kill Getaboshi for staining my wall; no sense of humor he said!? That jerk! The damn thing looked like a dying message!"

Arriving soon at the shop, Ichigo was surprised when s—he saw one of his friends.

"Chad... What are you doing here?" Ichigo blurted out, blinking in surprise and confusion, not catching what Chad being there meant.

"Kuchiki Rukia once saved me." Chad answered with his ever so calm attitude.

Something just didn't click right.

"You don't seem surprised; didn't you hear, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo turned around, staring in surprise at the glasses wearing boy.

"No way will I remain defeated by those Shinigami." Uryu huffed, pushing up his glasses in his all whitey glory. "I'm going too."

"Now we're all here~" A cheery voice chirped, demonstrating to be Orihime with her bright smile.

"I-Inoue!"

"Please take care of me!" Orihime bowed modestly, smiling as she straightened out.

For a moment, Ichigo stared at them blankly and wondered why the hell sh—he wasn't freaking out. Now, Ichigo blamed those damn hormones Getaboshi had warned him about, damn the man for shortening the explanation too; and why the heck was Getaboshi snickering something about a garden leaking!? Sh—He didn't tend to a garden and he didn't fancy flowers, that was Yuzu's territory. Can gardens even leak water? She didn't know that flowers could even do that.

Finally, he managed to ask. "What's going on?"

"Pretty slow on the up-take, but you took it better than I had expected." A voice drawled out, with a cat walking up to them.

Orihime greeted Yoruichi, but the black cat brushed it off and addressed Ichigo. "Kid, don't tell me you didn't notice the increase in power in these three. While you were training to increase your Shinigami power among other things—"

Ichigo choked, staring at the cat wide-eyed; the animal knew!?

Yoruichi ignored the teen and continued. "—these three were also training in their own way. Instead of criticizing or gaping like an idiot, bow your head and thank them."

"..." Ichigo didn't respond and just stared at the talking cat. Either because the orangette was a girl now, or because strange crap had already happened to him, either way s—he wasn't freaking out as badly as some would have thought. Finally, he deadpanned and managed to say. "That cat just talked."

"He's not a cat. He's Yoruichi-san." Orihime corrected Ichigo innocently, the black cat suddenly in her arms and nestled against her chest.

"I'm amazed he isn't freaking out." Chad remarked.

Uryu just raised an eyebrow, wondering why Kurosaki acted strange. And was it his imagination, or did Kurosaki seem shorter?

"Hai, hai~" Urahara clapped and motioned to his opened shop. "We can't keep talking outside. Let's go inside, I believe that if you are all going with Kurosaki-san, she would need to explain something to you."

Uryu, Chad and Orihime blinked, confused as they stared at the shop keeper. Did he just say **'she'**?

Ichigo stared at Urahara with an emotionless and downright disturbing stare.

Urahara laughed nervously, his Yoruichi-honed-senses yelling at him about why the hell he had to go and piss off a girl; former boy or not be damned, he was messing with a girl there.

* * *

Running inside the shop and climbing down the long-ass stairs and down to the underground basement, the group of teenagers stood in silence as they looked at Ichigo with a questioning and confused gaze.

"What did Urahara-san mean by explaining something to us, Kurosaki?" Uryu briskly asked, not beating around the bush.

"E-Er... Well..."

"And did he call you a 'she'?" Chad wondered, silently staring at the strawberry and waiting for an answer.

"Did Kurosaki-kun turn into a girl?" Orihime laughed immediately at her silly question.

Tense, dead silence followed her seemingly silly, innocent question; only the sounds of Ichigo's awkwardly nervous shifting was heard.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Before anyone could say anything, Urahara clapped his hands and called out. "All right! Your attention, please!" When he got the teens' attention, he threw an arm to his side dramatically and snapped his fingers. "Here we go!"

Immediately, out of thin air, a strange rectangular door covered with bandages (or the sort) formed rapidly.

"This is the door that leads to Soul Society." Urahara explained. "It is known as the Senkaimon, which is written for 'Tunnel World Gate'. Now listen carefully. Before that..." His eyes were dead serious, and suddenly he disappeared, appearing behind a certain orangette and jabbing his cane against the Kurosaki.

Ejected immediately from her—his body immediately, Ichigo turned to Getaboshi with an enraged expression. "Hey, warn me at least, bastard!"

"...K-Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime stammered, eyes wide as she stared at the fellow orange-haired girl who froze in her tracks. Kurosaki-kun had been fine just days before! How? What? Why did Kurosaki-kun looked so different yet to similar?

"K-Kurosaki... This is certainly a surprise..." Uryu managed to get out, straightening his glasses and trying to see if there was anything wrong with the orangette's reiatsu in attempt to catch anything indicating it was an imposter. However, no such luck for our shocked Quincy, who hoped this was a very, very bad dream.

"Yeah... It's me..." Ichigo was sweating heavily.

Chad gathered his wits, and simply asked. "How?"

Ichigo swallowed nervously, but none the less answered. "Something went wrong with my training... And I just ended like this."

Orihime hesitated, before asking her own question. "...I-Is Kurosaki-kun still Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah..." Ichigo rubbed the back of her—HIS head awkwardly. "I just changed— Er, I meant my gender changed, but that doesn't mean I changed, and well, err... I am still me, but like this." Ichigo lamely said.

Uryu eyed the now-girl critically, before scoffing. "Alright, I believe this. Only Kurosaki can manage to sound so stupid."

Nervousness immediately dissapeared as a vein popped in her forehead, and Ichigo glared at the glass-wearing boy. "What did you say!?"

"Did I stutter?" Uryu raised an eyebrow.

Chad sighed, while Orihime giggled. "Kurosaki-kun is still Kurosaki-kun, um, or should I say Kurosaki-chan? She is a girl and she is very pretty..." Orihime rambled on and on about the girlishness of Ichigo, much to the embarrassment and horror of Ichigo, whose remaining male pride was bluntly destroyed by the oblivious Inoue. For a moment, Uryu and Chad felt a flash of pity for the loss of manliness of their once-fellow-boy.

"It's time."

Everyone stopped their chatting and switched their attention to Urahara, who had watched the interaction between the teenagers silently. Seeing that they were now paying attention, Urahara explained further. "This gate has a layer of Reishihenkaki (Spirit-particle Conversion Machine) on top of a normal Senkaimon."

"Reishi...henkaki?" Ichigo looked at him blankly; she didn't really put on the the numbers of inventions Getaboshi may have invented, but she knew that they were wacko.

Urahara nodded. "Yes. As you already know, the Soul Society is a world of spirits. It is impossible to enter that world unless you have the form of a spirit. However, only Ichigo, as a Shinigami, can cross through. So we will use the Henkaki to convert you into spirits."

Gazing sharply, Uryu summarized all that. "In other words, even without extracting our spirits, by going through this gate..."

"Yup." Urahara cut in mid-word, smiling and finishing the sentence. "You will be able to enter Soul Society like that." Before anything else could be said, he once again began. "However, the time we have to open the gate and connect it to Soul Society is... 4 minutes."

Stunned speechless, Ichigo asked the question that bothered everyone. "Is that enough time?"

"Well, normally it's impossible." Urahara replied in a cheerful and blunt way. "It's a reckless idea to start with. I'll do my very best and hold it for 4 minutes." His face sobered up into all business, making everyone understand that it was really no joke and that he intended to do just that. "If you can't cross over in that time... You will be trapped forever between the Soul Society and this world."

Orihime was confused, and Yoruichi reminded her about some heart and soul being connected, and that they could only pass if their heart were set on it. Everyone stepped up as the gate lightened, determined to cross the gate.

But as they were about to enter, Ichigo realized something. "Hey, wait a sec! Getaboshi, you haven't got a device for this?" She gestured to her current Shinigami form and hinting toward the device used to make her seem like a boy.

"Nop! Sorry, but I had no time!" Urahara waved her off with his eyes, making the orangette curse as she turned back the gate. "Now, are you all ready?"

"Yeah."

"Now, run as soon as the gate opens."

They did just that, and not a second after the gate flashed they were gone.

Impassively watching the gate, Urahara didn't say that he had lied; it would be better for Kurosaki-san to accept this while rescuing Kuchiki-san. If he was honest, Urahara would have prefered for Kurosaki-san to accept her current self and all, but he realized how difficult changing from one self to another self could be.

Not to mention the device used for her soul form will break if her reiatsu continues growing; it is not made to handle such monstrosity of a reiatsu, and even there is a limit about how much reiatsu can be compressed without it exploding. There is a reason why those with monster reiatsu have difficulty forming Kido or controlling them; in short, it would be useless for him to even create a device when it would just break quickly if he had to guess with her quick growth in power... So now, the way to make Kurosaki-san accept it was by accepting her own strength VIA life or death battles; Urahara didn't doubt that the orangette would encounter a lot of those.

"I'm counting on you... Kurosaki-san." Urahara muttered.

* * *

Finding themselves in an eerie looking place which had bones of various people all over the place and covered with purple goo was not very pleasant.

Some of them were unnerved, and Yoruichi calmly explained that it was called the Dangai and that this was a place that is in between the Living World and Soul Society. While running, Uryū's cape is caught by the purple goo that acted like walls, and Chad rips off Uryū's cape in order to get him away from the wall. Just then, another obstacle called the Kōtotsu appears to start chasing them. Yoruichi explains that the capturing thrust is a cleaner that appears only once every seven days and urged them to keep going. Uryū tells the others that they are not going to make it to the exit before it catches them. However, Orihime uses her Santen Kesshun to buy them just enough time to make it to the exit.

Then, they found themselves suddenly free-falling towards the ground and landing in a painful heap.

After getting back to their feet, Ichigo and Chad watched in dumbfounded silence, with the comical circle-filled background around them, as Uryu pulled out another cape. What the heck? Who the hell needs a change of clothes in a situation like this? Then again, Ishida Uryu's hobby involved clothing...

Yoruichi reprimanded Orihime for her actions before proceeding to explain that the area they landed in was called Rukongai. It was where Pluses lived after death in the Living World.

Squinting in the distance and seeing some very, very tall and white buildings, Ichigo asked. "What's that? It looks so different on that side."

"That's the Seireitei, where the Shinigami live and right where we are hea— Hey, where are you going!?" Yoruichi indignantly yelled after the orangette who was running towards the gate. "Y-You fool! Don't get too close! You will die!"

Not a mere second after the warning, Ichigo abruptly stopped when walls slammed in front of her, making her blink when walls continued appearing and barring the white buildings from the outside world.

_"It's been a long time..."_

Coughing from the smoke, Ichigo jumped in surprise when a voice suddenly spoke up, and she looked around.

_"Since someone tried to pass through the Seirei Gate without travel permit... You're a rare guest." _

Getting a view of the guy in front of her after the smoke cleared, Ichigo blinked at the giant that was in front of her. If she was honest... the man looked a bit like a monkey with the chin and arms.

The giant, oblivious to Ichigo's thoughts that would no doubt throw him into a fit, continued just as oblivious. "Welcome, little girl!"

Ichigo twitched when the giant called her a little girl.

Uryu pushed his glasses in bewilderment, Orihime and Chad looked worried while Yoruichi slapped a paw against his face, bemoaning.

Pulling an axe out of nowhere, Jidanbou held it threateningly. "I am not one to fight little girls, but it is my duty... Now come at me from anywhere, little girl!"

"His name is Jidanbou. He was chosen from among the best in Soul Society to guard the White Rode Gate, one of the 4 gates of Seireitei." Yoruichi explained to the confused and shocked humans. After exchanging a few more words with Uryu, Yoruichi turned around to find, much to his horror and dismay, that Orihime and Chad were running and joining the fray of the giant and strawberry.

Suddenly, Jidanbou used his axe and smashed the ground, creating a barrier to prevent Orihime and Chad from interfering.

Peering down at Orihime and Chad from behind the jutted rocks, Jidanbou bluntly stated. "I don't like your manners. You must be country pumpkins. Now listen up, we have rules in this city." He, uncharastically for a man that looked like him, held up one finger in a childish fashion. "First, wash your hands when you return from outside." He held up two fingers. "Two, don't eat food that's fallen onto the ground." Holding up three fingers, he smirked down at the tiny people. "Three, when you fight, it's one on one."

Chad and Orihime felt slight sweat glide down the side of their faces, staring at the giant and wondering if they did just saw the giant do childish motions. But never mind, they were very worried for Ichigo.

"My first opponent will be that little girl..." Jidanbou paused when he realized there were two girls on the field, and added. "...with the candy hair. You two wait there quietly until I am done."

Looking blank and calm on the outside, Ichigo silently seethed at the nicknames the giant was calling her. S—He didn't have candy hair goddamnit! Exhaling a deep breath, she called out to her friends that she knew were on the other side of the jutted rock slash wall. "Oi! Chad! Inoue!

"Kurosaki-chan! Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Ichigo shouted, ignoring the 'chan' in her name; s-he will let that slide. "I'm still alive and kicking!" Orihime was about to say she and Chad were about to help her, Ichigo once again spoke up. "By the way, can you and Chad stay put?" As Orihime's protests of worry began, Ichigo assured her that she would be okay and that she would win. Then, Uryu butted in to agree with Orihime's side of argument.

"Oh, you're there, Ishida?"

His glasses flashed white and his eyebrow twitched in irritation, a comical vein throbbing as he shouted indignantly. "I've been here all along! Quit saying irritating things at such a time like this!"

Alas; Ichigo wasn't listening as she yawned loudly, further aggravating Uryu.

"Can you do it?" Chad asked with his quiet voice, but loud enough to be heard by the Kurosaki.

On her side of the wall, Ichigo rubbed the back of her neck, releasing blissed sounds when she scratched the right spot. She didn't know that scratching_ right there_ behind her neck could feel so good. "Ummm..." She mumbled distractedly. Where was she? Oh, right, Chad was asking for confirmation. "Probably!"

Loud, angry, exasperated knocking right beside her snapped her out of her thoughts as Uryu screeched from the other side. "PROBABLY!? What're you saying!? Do you understand the situation!?"

"Cripes..." Ichigo groaned. "Don't worry!"

"How can I not worry!?" Uryu retorted back, exasperated with the sheer absurdity of Kurosaki's dumb logic. First there was the incident with the Menos, and now, as time passed, Uryu found himself wondering how the limits of stupidity could go so far.

"I'll tell you something interesting." Uryu stopped rapping his fist against the wall, blinking in surprise at the change of subject.

From her side, Ichigo smirked when she got the attention of her friends, slightly glad that the loud knocking had ceased. "Not counting the day I spent in regaining my skills as a girl, my Shinigami strength was supposed to be restored in 10 full days. But I got it back in five. What do you think I did the remaining 4 days?" Without waiting for an answer, she went on. After exchanging a few words, the battle began.

Jidanbou began attacking Ichigo with an axe, who just blocked the strike with Zangetsu. Impressed that a 'little girl' could stop his first strike, he then repeatedly smashed his axe into Ichigo, taking out a second one after some time; Ichigo was very glad for the training, otherwise she wasn't sure if she could have hold up against the attacks with this body. After striking with his Jidanda Banzai Strike Festival, both his axes break with the force of two clashing strengths.

Flying backwards and landing on his ass, Jidanbou stared at the handles of his destroyed axes numbly.

Heaving Zangetsu onto her shoulder, Ichigo tilted her head curiously. "Hey, say something."

"M-My axes..." Jidanbou choked, and soon enough, began downright wailing with tears an all, like a child who got his toys broken.

"Huh!?" Ichigo watched the giant in disbelief, sweatdropping.

"Now he's crying..." Uryu muttered. "What's going on?"

"He sounds like a siren..." Orihime commented.

"Er... Hey..." Ichigo rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I'm sorry about that, for breaking your axes..." Bringing it up was a no-no way to comfort, she realized. Ichigo stammered out an apology. "I-I didn't have to break both of them, I _know_... B-Bad of me..."

"Y-You're not bad..." Jidanbou looked up at her with teary eyes. "You and I are enemies, but you are concerned for me, a loser..." Ichigo choked when the gigantic hands came to clutched her entire body, and she released a strangled shout as the grip got tight. Oblivious to her discomfort, Jidanbou continued crying. "What a big heart... You're really great!"

"Er... Well, w-when someone cries that much, anyone would want to c-console them..." Ichigo managed to get out, smiling nervously and hoping the hands didn't tighten around her. If she had been back in her male body, she would have no problem with this, but as a girl she was considerably more fragile; not that she would admit it.

Thankfully, Jidanbou let go of her and stood up, pumped up. "Meanwhile I'm acting like a kid over _mere axes_... I'm an embarrassment to a man!"

Ichigo was suddenly struck with the thought of Zangetsu and the time she met the old man in that crumbling world and how he had explained he was her zanpakutou; normally she wouldn't have thought over possibly ridiculous things like those, but Getaboshi talked as if they _-as in the Zanpakuto-_ were alive, so that got her a bit curious and Ichigo blamed the annoying female hormones. It resulted in a bit of humiliation when she had spent a bit of time talking (Read: yelling) at Zangetsu, but no response, which got her sulking at the her own expense. Suppose that applied to every Shinigami, and since Jidanbou was wearing the uniform, weren't those axes his zanpakutou? Or were they really mere axes?

Damn, now that Ichigo thought about it, she felt even more bad for breaking those axes if they were really zanpakuto.

Unknowing of her thoughts, Jidanbou bowed his head in defeat. "It's my loss!" That startled Ichigo as she took a step back. Jidanbou threw his arms up. "A complete loss! As a warrior! As a man! I lost to you completely!" He looked down at the tiny girl who defeated him. "It's been 300 years since I became the Guard to the White Road Gate. And I've never lost. You're the first little girl to ever defeat me!" Sniffing, he declared, "Pass!"

For a moment, Ichigo wondered if the giant got the kicks out of reminding her—him about being a girl, but she quickly dismissed the thought since the giant doesn't even know she had been a boy once. But, what was more terrifying, was that now that s—he wasn't focused on it, he constantly refered her—himself as a girl. That was not, so very not good.

"I, Jidanbou, grant your permission to pass through the White Road Gate!"

_That_, cheered her up quickly.

"Is it really okay for us to pass through?" Uryu asked the giant after a few minutes, and the giant nodded, stating that he had lost to their leader and that it was their right to enter the city. Much to Uryu's indignation, who yelled that Kurosaki wasn't their leader. Ichigo sweatdropped at the indignation of the Quincy.

"Your name is Kurosaki?" Jidanbou blinked, wondering where he had heard that name.

"Yeah!" Ichigo grinned up at the giant. "It's Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Ichigo, huh? That's a cute name for a cute girl." Jidanbou commented, not knowing that he had just destroyed more of Ichigo's already battered pride.

Stubbornly denying the slight blush on her cheeks at the 'cute' comment and cursing her easily shown emotions, a vein throbbed in her forehead as she gained comically sharp teeth, screaming. "**Shut up**! _Ichi_ means 'one' and _go_ stands for 'protect'! Neither I or my name are cute!" Then, she shot Uryu and Chad a dark glare when a strangled sound escaped them, sounding suspiciously like a choked laugh.

Jidanbou just grinned and opened the gate, biding them farewell and a careful in their adventures. Halfway, he stopped lifting the gate as he froze, sweating as his eyes widened in shock and fear.

In front of them stood a tall man with white hair and a playfully wide grin, eyes closed.

"C-Captain of the Squad 3... Ichimaru Gin!" stammered Jidanbou in fear.

Ichigo blinked at the man owlishly. "Who the heck is he?"

"Ara, ara..." Gin tut'tted playfully, closed eyes trailing over each person and the gate halfway opened. "This isn't good..." His grin turned slightly predatory.

A thin line appeared on Jidanbou's arm, and suddenly, blood spurted like a river as the giant released a choked cry, falling onto his knees as the gate slammed onto his back.

Slowly getting from his sudden and slightly crouched position and into a standing halt, Gin smiled, not bothered by the blood flowing out of the giant. "Unnaceptable~" Gin murmured, grinning playfully. "A guardian of the gate isn't supposed to open the gate."

* * *

**Well, I did say that I would make Ichigo go around slowly, but that is an unconscious action and her instincts always scream at her that she was a girl. No one can resist instinct (on some occasions) when they are not always focused on it. Whenever she notices his slip she tries to once again call herself a "he".**

**Sorry if Ichigo is a bit OOC, but mindset being a bit different from his male form, Ichigo did notice (with her 'female vision' XD) that Urahara talked to Benihime as if she were really alive, which she is. That got the hidden and more feminine side out of her, which resulted in the try-out. Of course, since there is no Jinzen and with Ichigo having little to no experience in this sort of things, it resulted in a big ZERO result.**


	3. Retreat and Enter

**Here is the 3rd chapter. Thankyou all those that reviewed, favorited and followed! And to give you heads up, the pairings are... well... you could say that pairings and shippings are doing a battle inside my brain on what pairing to put Ichigo in; of course, that's after she accepted her girl side entirely. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

_**~~Chapter 3. Retreat and Enter~~**_

* * *

"Ugh..." Jidanbou grunted, shaking underneath the gate as his wound bled. "I lost! Opening the gate is what is expected of a gatekeeper who has lost!"

Gin smirked. "What are you saying?" He stepped closer to the downed giant, still grinning that fake grin of his. "A gatekeeper who lost isn't opening any gates. When a keeper loses... Well..." His grin widened, as he finished darkly. "...It means **death**."

Ichigo sped forward and swung Zangetsu, Gin effortlessly blocking with his own wakizashi, they separated, sliding back a few feet from each other.

Faintly registering Yoruichi's shocked cry and ignoring him, Ichigo demanded. "What the hell are you doing!?" The dude just attacked his own comrade, well, Jidanbou did open the gate but still! They were comrades, right?

"That's my line!" shrieked Yoruichi in horror, jaw hanging low at Ichigo's recklessness. Turning into a girl didn't change anything at all!

"Don't come in and try to butt in, you fox face!" Ichigo snapped, glaring at Gin, Zangetsu levelled at the silver-haired man.

"Heh... You're a funny kid." Gin's grin gained a tint of amusement and curiosity. "Aren't you afraid of me?" He knew that his reiatsu was under control, but even then, the girl in front of him could have sensed the compressed reiatsu at such closed quarters. That, and his fake grin always intimidated, frustrated or unnerved others among others things; except his childhood friend, but even she was wary of his grins since, more often than not, they are a sign about whether he was in mood for pranks or not.

Ichigo deadpanned. "Not at all."

"Hey! Stop it, Ichigo!" Yoruichi shouted. "We will retreat for now!"

"Wha? No way! I was just getting started!" Ichigo argued. "I can't forgive a guy like him, he attacked his own comrade!"

_'Ichigo...?'_ Gin's eyes cracked open a fraction, which went unnoticed, making sure that yes, the person that attacked him was a** girl** and not a boy. Checking her reiatsu, his head tilted slightly, detecting something strange, but pretty similar to the sample of the unknown human that 'robbed' the powers of Kuchiki Rukia. _'So then... She's the one... Were the reports wrong? No, that's unlikely... Hmm...__'_ Gin tilted his head slightly to the side, going unnoticed by the arguing cat and girl as his grin gained an amused and mischievous grin. _'...She is cute; though, I wonder how **he** is gonna take this?'_

"You're Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo stopped in her—his rants, blinking. "Eh? You know about me?"

"Oh, so you're really Kurosaki Ichigo..." Gin stepped away from the gate, seemingly backing away. The girl's reaction to his question answered him, and that yes, she was really Kurosaki Ichigo despite the reports of the human being a boy.

"Huh? Hey! Where are you going!? Wait!"

"How sad; then, by all circumstances allowed, I can't let you pass." Gin stated, brandishing his wakizashi from its sheath, the blade glinting with a deadly gleam.

"Why're you standing so far away? Are you going to throw your wakizashi?" Ichigo asked, puzzled.

"This is not a wakizashi." Gin replied. "This is my Zanpakutou." Suddenly, he spun around and assumed a stance, and the wind kicked up as the air became slightly heavy. "Ikorose, Shinso (Shoot to kill, Sacred Spear)!" His sword quickly elongates in an unexpected move, and while Ichigo barely managed to block the attack with Zangetsu, she is knocked into Jidanbou who's still holding the gate on his shoulders, and both of them are knocked back into the Rukongai district. Having lost its support, the gate begins closing.

Gin approached the closing gate, grinning and waving at them childishly. "Bye bye!"

**_*BAM!*_**

"Are you alright, Kurosaki-chan!?" asked Orihime, she and the others running towards the strawberry and the giant. Ichigo just winced, and seeing the gate closing, apologized for allowing the gate to close. Yoruichi sighed. "No, your opponent was Ichimaru Gin. It couldn't be helped. Be glad that you weren't hurt."

Eyes widening, she stood up and looked over at Jidanbou, slightly worried over the still-opened wound. Ichigo turned to Orihime. "Inoue, please take care of him." Orihime nodded. Hearing this, and having witnessed Ichigo's fight with Ichimaru Gin, the souls of West Rukongai slowly came out of their homes, peeking at the group suspiciously.

"Who are they?" Ichigo questioned, resting Zangetsu on her shoulder.

"They were hiding." Uryu said.

"Why?" Orihime wondered.

"They feared us." Yoruichi answered. "Souls who come illegitimately to Soul Society without the aid of Shinigami are called Ryoka, and are said to be the cause of all kind of calamities.

The elder of the Rukongai approaches them, offering hospitality when he saw Orihime summoning Sōten Kisshun to heal Jidanbōu's arm. Then, they are approached by a kid called Yūichi Shibata, and Ichigo froze up as Shibata takes Chad to meet his adoptive family. She breathed out in relief when the kid didn't recognize he—him, he had rather not cause a commotion.

* * *

Night had descended in Rukongai, and the group of Ryoka were resting in a hut and planning how to get inside Seireitei once again. Needless to say, Ichigo was lost when the cat said they would 'give up' on breaking through the gates.

Obviously, Yoruichi saw their confusion and elaborated. "Once the gate has been opened, the security on the inside becomes tighter. Which means the same strategy is not the greatest plan." Albeit there wasn't much of a strategy to begin with...

Ichigo crossed her arms. "Then what are we going to do?"

"If we can't use the gate, we must use another way." Yoruichi replied, golden eyes calculating as he turned to the old man. "Elder, do you know the Shiba Kukaku?" The Elder's eyes widened. "I understand Kukaku is someone who constantly changes residences. I haven't been able to find out where she is now." But before the Elder could answer, an increasing rumble is heard from outside and after a few seconds, the group of teens jumped in shock as a strange man is thrown through the door.

"A boar! Why!? What's a boar doing here!?" Ichigo sputtered. "And why the heck is it wearing a ribbon!?"

"Owee..." The strange guy bemoaned, dusting himself. "Darn... thrown again by my Bonnie..." He straightened and smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Yo! Long time no see, old man!"

"Ganju!" The Elder shouted. "What are the doing here? Go home!"

"Some greeting! I came to visit after a long time and I get this? Your guests are shocked." Ganju froze when he caught sight of Ichigo.

Ichigo just deadpanned at the weirdo. "Dude, you are the one who broke his door; I would be mad too."

"What?" Ganju scowled, taking off his glasses. "What's a dirty Shinigami doing out here?"

"Huh?"

"Not 'huh'." Ganju scoffed. "Are you so stupid you can't understand?" He approached the orange-haired girl, and getting right in front of her face. "'What is a dirty Shinigami doing here', I asked." No response came from the girl, and Ganju scowled, pinching her cheek and stretching it. "Say something, you carrot-top!"

Ichigo punched him, sending the man flying as a tick mark throbbed on her forehead. Uryu, Orihime and Chad gaped at the abrupt violence.

"W-What're you doing!? You picking a fight!?" Ganju demanded, jumping right back with a hand on his throbbing cheek, that much to Ichigo's satisfaction, sported a bruise.

"That's my line! You were the one who went invading other's personal space!" Ichigo snarled. "Going around and spitting on people's faces, who do you think you are, you primeval boar!" And a fight began, smoke and insults traded around with the occasional kick and punch.

"What'll we do?" Orihime fretted, chewing her lip.

"We must stop them." Uryu answered dully, staring at the smoke surrounding the comical fighting of the duo. He then turned to the Elder, dismayed. "Hey! This is no time to drink tea! Who is that guy?"

Ganju stopped fighting, turning to them. "You don't know who I am?"

"Don't know."

"Neither do I."

"Not a clue."

"Like I care."

Ignoring the rude and deadpan replies, Ganju puffed out his chest. "Hah... Then it can't be helped, I will tell you." He did a pose, and declared. "My name is Ganju! Self professed Crimson Bullet of the Rukongai District! Self professed the most 'I want to call you big brother' candidate for 14 years running! And...!" He paused for a dramatic effect, and shouted with even more vigour. "Self professed West Rukongai's top Shinigami hater!"

"They are all self-professed!" exclaimed the group of Ryoka in disbelief.

Ichigo snorted, waving a hand as if batting a fly. "Tch... Like I care for the name of someone hopeless like you."

That, provoked Ganju's wrath and he lunged at the girl. Girl or no girl, he hated Shinigamis all the same; there isn't an exception, even for a cute girl. There is no good or bad, and he won't ever forgive Shinigami for what they had done!

As the two roll into the street, Chad, Orihime and Uryū run to assist her but are stopped by Ganju's henchmen. Ganju draws his sword and begins to attack an unarmed Ichigo, but Chad throws Zangetsu to her. After Ichigo blocks several blows, Ganju uses some quicksand-like trick to sink Zangetsu's blade into the ground. Ichigo manages to disarm Ganju and the fight proceeds hand to hand. Ichigo slowly gains the upper hand, when suddenly a large alarm clock strapped to one of Ganju's henchmen goes off, stopping him cold in his tracks. Realizing the time is 9 o'clock, Ganju and his henchmen quickly withdraw.

* * *

The morning after their encounter with Ganju, and after dragging Ichigo off her spot in the hut, Yoruichi leads the group out into the countryside. Ichigo questions whether the group is headed the right way, to which Uryu responds angrily, telling her that they are following the map properly. Orihime hypothesizes that Kūkaku must want to keep his identity secret to live this far out. However, Yoruichi states that is incorrect and that although Kūkaku changes houses regularly, he'll still be able to recognize it instantly. This is confirmed when the house appears on the horizon, with two large arms on both sides holding up a banner stating: Shiba Kukaku. While Chad appears unfazed and Orihime thinks the house is "cool", Uryu and Ichigo both are shocked by the house's appearance. The Quincy going so far as to call it "a sad excuse for a house" and both of them are ashamed to enter such a strange-looking dwelling.

Ichigo and Uryu stood frozen, pale as the others went ahead. They were hesitant to even step near the building, but it was need before want, right? RIGHT?

As they approach the front door, two guardians appear, announcing themselves as Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko. They warn that to attempt to enter was to invite death. Yoruichi defuses the tension by sticking his head out from around Ichigo's right leg, upon which the guardians become apologetic and show great respect towards Yoruichi.

Entering the house, they are slightly baffled to see the interior, and when they enter a certain room, all except Yoruichi are shocked to find that Shiba Kukaku is in fact a woman.

"Actually, Kukaku..." Yoruichi gave a catish smirk. "I have a favor to ask you."

"That's usually the case where you look me up. ...Is it a difficult problem?"

"Most likely."

Kukaku grinned. "It's been a long time since we've talked like this. Alright, tell me. I love difficult things."

* * *

In another place, Renji escorts the four guards securing Rukia to the Senzaikyū where she is to be held until the execution. She looks at the Sōkyoku stand from her window and one of the guards explains that the purpose of the shrine was so that the condemned could spend the last days of their lives regretting their mistakes. Before he leaves, Renji tells Rukia of an unconfirmed report, that one of the Ryoka was an orange haired Shinigami with a body length sword, causing Rukia's eyes to widen.

Renji didn't know of the other Ryoka, but he knew that at least one of them was Kurosaki Ichigo. Orange hair and a wide-ass sword gave the punk away since there was no one else with the same points that would have the resolve to even try to go save Rukia. Renji, whether it was because of orders or personal reasons, would kill that bastard, Kurosaki Ichigo; albeit he was sure the boy had already died since Ichimaru-taichou had been the one sent to confront them. Good thing he didn't tell Rukia about that though.

* * *

Kūkaku smokes a pipe while agreeing to Yoruichi's request, stating that because Urahara Kisuke is involved, she couldn't refuse even if she wanted to.

"However, while I trust you, I don't trust this kids..."

The mentioned kids sweatdropped. They were sitting down, with Zangetsu having been placed on the floor because of the blade's length.

"I'll include my henchman to keep an eye on them." Kukaku stated, grinning slightly.

"Henchman?"

"Yeah. Henchman, but he's actually my kid brother." Kukaku stands up and steps to the side, opening the door to show a tiny surprise.

"Hajimemashite! My name is Shiba Ganju!" The man was bowing, and he raised his head with a smile. "Please be good to me!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"AAAAAHHHHHH! It's you!" Ichigo and Ganju jump up, pointing accusing fingers at each other.

"What? You know each other?" Kukaku asked, blinking.

Both ignored her question and traded insults, with Ganju taunting Ichigo about being a coward and trying to egg her to fight. At first, she didn't know how, but Ichigo managed to ignore the taunts and just hurled insults of her own without resorting to physical violence; but then, Ganju had to go and spit on Zangetsu.

Something within her just... reacted. Immediately, anger, annoyance and (strangely enough) indignation boiled through her veins as she finally snapped and punched the idiot. Ichigo and Ganju then fight viciously, with punches, kicks and insults thrown here and there, breaking several doors in the process. Then, Ganju faltered slightly, and Ichigo took that chance and 'instinctively' kicked Ganju in the nuts hard enough to send him flying, much to Uryu and Chad's shock and mortification, along her own horror upon realizing what she had done.

Unfortunately, that move accidentally knocked Kukaku's pipe, with Ganju breaking it accidentally when he jumped up in rage, his foot slamming down on the wooden tool. Seeing her beloved pipe broken, with the culprits right in front of her, Kukaku is full of anger and uses an unknown technique to blast the two apart and end their conflict, while simultaneously causing severe structural damage to her house. She rants at Ichigo, who apologizes for her actions and then orders everyone to stand and follow her.

Kukaku leads them through an underground path to a door labeled "authorized personnel only", inside of which is the base of her huge chimney, which is revealed to be a cannon. She then introduces herself as "Rukongai's Number One Fireworks Expert". Kūkaku tells Ichigo's group how she is going to get them into the Seireitei. Then, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko are told by Kūkaku to "raise it up". Outside the house, they start to rotate two cranks. The ground under the group begins to rise up, and the ceiling opens. Kūkaku throws an orb at Uryu's face, and it rebounds on his face with a painful 'crunch', landing in Ichigo's hands.

"That's Reishukaku (Spirit Core). Place your palms on it and focus your Reiryoku!" Kukaku ordered.

"Eh? Like this?" Ichigo began squeezing the ball with her palms, assuming funny stances as she did so. Then, she stopped as a comical background appeared behind her, and she deadpanned. "How do you focus your Reiryoku?

Kukaku looked at the girl incredulously. "Huh? What are you saying? Like this!" With her left hand, she conjured a transparent ball of Reiryoku. "If you're a Shinigami, surely you'd know how to use your Kidou."

"Actually..." Yoruichi spoke up. "This girl is the newbie Shinigami I told you about earlier. She can't use Kidou at all. Her skills consist of Zanjutsu, her speciality, if you may."

"What?" Kukaku looked surprised. "Usually, female Shinigamis have a better grasp on Kido than Zanjutsu." It's not that it was a rule or anything, just stating a fact as most female Shinigami Kukaku met now adays were more proficient in Kidou before any other classes; her friend, Yoruichi, was one of the few exceptions Kukaku knew, since the cat was an expert in Hoho and Hakuda. It was new to find a girl who completely and utterly sucked at Kido, but in this case, it was bad, very bad.

Yoruichi just smirked, golden eyes gleaming as if knowing something Kukaku did not.

Ichigo twitched, restraining the urge to screech at the woman that she had been a boy, and that Getaboshi's wacko lessons made her into a girl. Then, Ichigo's mood soured when s—he realized that he referred himself as a girl. God dammit. It was turning very confusing. S—He was a boy since birth, but technically, he was a girl now; so how should he call herse—himself?

Sighing, Kukaku tells Ganju to demonstrate it. When Ganju makes a grab for the orb, however, Ichigo keeps it out of his reach. The "game" continued until Kukaku had enough, hitting them and bellowing at them to "cut the crap out".

Ganju then gets up and begins a demonstration of how to put Reiryoku into the orb. It works, and a giant blue orb appears around Ganju. Kūkaku than explains that the wall around the Seireitei is made out of a rare rock called 'Sekkiseki' and that it completely rejects Reiatsu. Kūkaku explains that the orb will allow them to break through the Seireitei's defense. Then, Kukaku commands Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko to haul them into the underground hall to practice, the 'victims' kicking and screaming, especially a disgruntled Ichigo who was in an awkward position.

* * *

After training for some time, Orihime, Chad, and Uryū go up to show the progress they've made in making the force field.

Orihime went first, and her orb glowed as she formed a perfect blue orb over her. Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko praise her for that.

Uryu went second, and while his orb wasn't as perfect as Orihime's, being narrow in shape, the two brother's gave him some slack, thinking that it was because of his personality.

Chad went third, his orb being unstable but quiet powerful, astonishing the brothers but getting their approval none the less.

"And finally..." The brothers eyed the orangette. "Ichigo-dono!"

Ichigo released a battle-like cry as sh—he clutched the orb tightly, and while the thing glowed, only a sorry excuse of an attempt that suspiciously looked like a gooey snake was born.

The brothers immediately made their opinions know, bellowing at the girl.

"This is terrible!"

"Absolutely terrible!"

"What is that..."

"...supposed to be!?"

"I can only conclude that you have no talent!"

"Agreed!"

_"You have no talent at all, girl!"_

A tick mark formed in her brow, and Ichigo angrily threw the orb at one of the brother's head, making the other cry out in shock. "Shut up, you dumbasses! If you're gonna teach something at least give some pointers that make sense!" thundered Ichigo, angry and frustrated.

The day goes by, and during the night, Ichigo is still trying to form the barrier with no success. Since Ichigo was determined to get the 'lesson' hands down, she tells the others to go eat first. And so Ichigo continued her 'training'. As Ganju watched the girl, he furrowed his brows in confusion. He had heard that the kid wanted to go to Seireitei (which was basically suicide) because she wanted to save some chick, and Ganju was dumbfounded, because in his view Shinigami were cowards and selfish and wouldn't risk themselves for others like that; maybe the chick was some important person? Ganju wanted to ask, and now seemed like a perfect moment since everyone was absent...

Finally, Ganju catched the orb and played a bit with the Reishukaku, he asked. "Is she that important to you?" At the kid's startled look, he elaborated. "The Shinigami you're going to save."

"Not really."

Ganju stared in surprise. Then why the heck would this kid risk her life to save the Shinigami? That was crazy. That answer did not satisfy his curiosity in the slightest.

Ichigo just scowled, and snatched the orb back.

"Then did you, like, promise to save her?"

"No."

"Then it must be money. She promised to pay you if you saved her." Ganju decided, seeing it was the most palpable possibility since those of Seireitei were rich bastards; not to mention it's a Kuchiki, those stone-idiot guys with a stick up their asses.

"No, I can't even use money from here in my world!

"Then why!? Why are you so determined!?" Ganju wanted to rip his hair off in frustration. The kid didn't make any sense! If not an important person, a promise or money, then what!? Ganju knew that girls were creatures unknown to man, and that they were confusing and violent and prone to change moods along with having bizarre ideas; his sister was proof of it, and recently this Kurosaki Ichigo too.

"I owe her!" Ichigo snapped, then, noticing how she had phrased that, took a deep breath and slowly explained. "You see, she... She saved my life, and I haven't repaid her yet. Even though she had just met me, she gave me her power to save my family and I... Because of that she was arrested and she's about to be executed." Ichigo gazed at Ganju seriously. "I don't want to turn into a pathetic guy who'd turn his back to her."

Ganju just stared at her for a few minutes, his thoughts a scattered mess as feelings jumbled together, his views and motives mixing and conflicting. To sway away the orangette's attention in the subject, he managed a reply. "...Technically, you are a girl, kid."

Her forehead gained a tick mark. "That's all you can say!? After I basically told you my reason to save Rukia, you can only comment on that!? Are you an idiot for managing such a dumbass reply?" And did that idiot have to remind he—him of that, goddamnit!?

"Hey! I don't want to be told that by a chick that can't even gather her Reiryoku!" Ganju shot back, scowling. "And give it to me!" Much to Ichigo's protests, he snatched the Reishukaku and walked away. He shouted, "I'm going to practice too! Cover your ears! Don't you dare listen! I'm going to review the trick I developed myself." And review he did, in front of Ichigo as he said the words aloud, word by word, clearly.

After he finished and threw the orb back at Ichigo, she just stared, bewildered, as Ganju excused himself from the room. To think that Ganju would even do that, was that a ham? However, one thing was for sure... "That was a terrible acting, idiot." Without knowing, her lips curled up slightly into a small smile of gratitude.

Following the steps Ganju had recited, Ichigo closed her eyes and concentrated, oblivious to the mini-earthquake she was causing as she paid all attention to the orb. It worked, but her Reiryoku was too strong and it blew away Ganju, who had been just outside the door, and calling Kukaku's attention. After Kūkaku arrived and yelled at Ichigo to lower off her Reiryoku, sh—he does, but loses focus, causing the barrier to explode. Angered at the mess Ichigo unintentionally caused, Kūkaku started to give her a hard time for this and because of this, she decides not to give either Ganju (because he taught Ichigo how to do it) or Ichigo (duh, she blew up the room and messed up) dinner.

"Why do you have to treat me the same as her!? I'm your brother!" Ganju yelled. "Quit your whining!" Kukaku yelled back.

"Yoruichi-san. You're back." Orihime chirped, smiling down at the black cat. "So Ichigo finally succeeded in forming a cannonball did she?" Yoruichi mused walking in and sitting in front of where Ichigo was on the ground.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Ganju asked, a big bump on his head from where his sister hit him. "Nothing to worry about, she's just sleeping it off. Now, I want the rest of you to go sit over there. Ichigo is asleep, but we haven't got much time before we begin our mission. I want to talk to you about what you can expect after we invade Seireitei. Okay, listen, you must—NNYYYAAAAAAAA!" Yoruichi got cut off when he screeched in pain.

* * *

"Mmhmm... That was a nice nap..." Ichigo yawned, stretching her arms above her head like a cat. Uryu and Chad blushed slightly, wondering if they should tell the orange-haired girl that her 'cargo' was showing obviously that way. While they would like to help Ichigo in pity of losing his (or was it 'her'?) masculinity, they had no wish to provoke her any further; albeit Uryu had to force Chad to not do anything to save the giant from a vicious tongue lashing.

"Okay, so you're all here; Ichigo, shake off the drowsiness quickly, there is no time for that." Yoruichi said, his tail swaying and looking very weird.

Unfortunately, Ichigo noticed and obliviously pointed it out, "Yoruichi-san, your tail looks like one of those flexible toothbrushes!"

Chad, Orihime and Uryu flinched, looking at Ichigo in disbelief and slight horror.

"...What?" A crimson, demonic and utterly evil aura surrounded Yoruichi, as he slowly turned and glared at Ichigo murderously. "Do you have a problem with it?" He hissed, enraged.

Ichigo gulped, visibly shrinking back from the demonic cat as she stammered in fright. "N-No, nothing! It's a perfectly, beautiful and wonderful tail as always!"

Edging closer to the orangette Shinigami, Uryu heatedly whispered, "Don't you remember? You're responsible for that!" Ichigo blinked in confusion, prompting Uryu to explain with another hissed whisper. "After you created the cannonball, you fell sleep and grabbed Yoruichi-san's tail! It took the 3 of us to get you to let go, but... by then it was too late." Despite Ichigo's seemingly delicate form, she could grip very hard if she so wished, the black cat's tail being proof of it; poor thing.

Sniffing and looking on the verge of crying, Yoruichi cradled his tail and wept. "My tail... The tail I was so proud of... Ruined!" Still moping, he walked away with his head downcast, a cloud of depression over his head.

Orihime, Chad and Uryu sweatdropped, the Quincy muttering to Ichigo, "You'd be smart to stay away from that subject."

"G-Got it..."

"Hey wait. Why isn't Ganju here with the rest of you?" Kukaku asked. "Last time I saw him he was muttering some nonsense to himself." Ichigo told her. "Never fear! Ganju is here!" They heard someone yell, and they looked over to see Ganju. "You should know. The hero is always the last one to make his entrance." He said smugly.

Incredulous, Ichigo asked. "What's with that get-up?"

"It's my own very battle costume. Don't I look cool? Cry and beg all you want, but I won't lend it to you."

Ganju was wearing black poofy pants with a white swirly symbol on each pant leg. He wore these shoes that looked like Shinigami sandals, but they went to the knee and it looked like something you could light with a match. He was wearing a white shirt with a green vest over it, and a red sash around his waist that held his slightly small/short sword behind his back. He was also wearing something on his arms that go to his elbow. It looked like the same thing on the shoes. A green colored headband covered and went around his head, tied with a not in the back.

"As if I would want it, it wouldn't even fit me." muttered Ichigo under her breath. Then, she perked up in curiosity. "Wait a minute. What's with that? Aren't you just seeing us off?"

Suddenly, Ganju stated that a Shinigami killed his brother, and that it was the reason he hated them; for killing and betraying his brother's trust that lasted even in his deathbed. Since then, Ganju felt that Shinigami were wretched beings, but he claims he believes Ichigo is different from the other Shinigami who killed his brother. He will follow Ichigo because he believes he might learn something new about the Shinigami, something other than anger or hatred or betrayal. Seeing the resolve in his eyes and after pondering over it, Ichigo agrees and welcomes him; albeit in a rude manner.

"Everyone, are you ready for the Cannonball?"

Turning to the one who spoke up, Yoruichi, the group about to invade Seireitei nodded as one. Then, realizing something, Ichigo spoke up, "Um... By the way, Yoruichi-san, can you make a Cannonball?" She held up the Reishukaku for emphasis.

"Hum... I wonder... Let me try it." Yoruichi almost seemed to smirk as he eyed the Reishukaku, ignoring the startled reactions of the teens. "Well, put that down there." As said, the orb that was put on the floor and Yoruichi hopped on top of it. Not a second later, he managed to effortlessly form a perfect cannonball, making the others stare in awe. "Humph. Something like this is as simple as breathing in and out." boasted Yoruichi in a strangely elegant manner.

Orihime began clapping in excitement, awed as she exclaimed. "Wow! It's so cool, Yoruichi-san! It took us so long to learn it!"

On the other hand, Ichigo was on her hands and knees, clearly shocked that a **cat** of all things could best her at creating a cannonball. What the heck!? The cat got it in his first try, while hers even exploded when she finally managed to do it, like, some dozens times!

Looking at the sulking form of the girl, Yoruichi grinned evilly. "Do you resent it? Do you resent that I could easily do something that gave you so much to accomplish, huh?" taunted Yoruichi gleefully.

After exchanging a few words with her little brother, Kūkaku informs everyone that the final countdown has begun. As soon as she says that, she uses earth magic to create an entrance in the side of the cannon and Ichigo, Ganju, Yoruichi, Orihime, Uryū, and Chad step inside. The sunrise will be the signal to begin the launch ceremony.

Inside the cannon Yoruichi begins some saying some instructions. "Listen, once we're in Seireitei, we have to stick together. If you encounter any Captains, don't think, just run. Our goal is to save Rukia and nothing else. Don't, by any means, take any useless risks!" Outside the sun is rising and Kūkaku begins the launch sequence. Immediately, Yoruichi orders everyone to create the cannonball and they do so simultaneously. Kūkaku finishes the incantation and the cannonball is fired straight up.

"You have done it, Kukaku-dono!"

"It's a success!"

Kukaku just remained silent in response to the brothers' praise. "Go with care, Ganju..." murmured Kukaku, still watching the cannonball dissapear into the skies.

* * *

Inside the cannonball that was flying up the sky, Ichigo is surprised to find that things are rather peaceful. Ganju, however, just smirks and informs her that this was only the beginning. As if to confirm his statement, the ball suddenly sets off in an incredible speed towards Seireitei. Quickly, Ganju pulls out a scroll which contains the directions for the second part of the** Kakaku Shahou Niban Kagizaki**. Seeing the looks of his current companions, Ganju explains that the first part is only used for the launch and general direction, while the second is used for acceleration and axis adjustment; he also tells them that they must keep the cannonball stable if they want to enter Seireitei safely.

One mistake and it would be over.

Returning to his scroll, Ganju shouted. "Kakaku Shahou Niban, Sugi no Koujou!" And so Ganju began reciting the incantation for the spell.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Kurosaki-chan..." murmured Orihime weakly. "You're realising a bit too much..." Her friend's reiatsu was too much to control, and it was nearly overwhelming thanks to the orb that helped them check on the outputs of reiatsu to stabilize each other; however, because Ichigo was putting (perhaps unconsciously) too much, Orihime was finding it difficult to match her reiatsu to the other's output or even tame Ichigo's reiatsu to match her own.

"A-Am I? S-Sorry." Ichigo closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to lessen the reiatsu she was pouring into the orb.

"Kurosaki!" Uryu hissed. "Lower it some more!"

"I-I know! I lowered it a lot already!"

"Ichigo..." uttered Chad, expression not changing the slightest despite the strain in trying to match or control the reiatsu Ichigo was pouring.

"I said I know!" screamed Ichigo, flustered and trying to lower it more. It was easier said than done, dammit!

This went on for some minutes, with everyone telling Ichigo to lower her reiatsu and Ichigo yelling at them that she was doing it; unfortunately, all the commotion caused Ganju to screw up in a part of his incantation. Shocked and horrified, he angrily turned to Ichigo, bellowing, "You idiot! You made me read the same line twice!"

Ichigo glared at him angrily, "So WHAT!? Is that supposed to be my fault too!?"

"You're making so much noise flapping with that trap of yours that I lost my concentration, you numbskull!"

"CONCENTRATION!? You were reading the thing out of a damn paper! You were just an idiot to have lost track of the sentence, dumbass!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? I would like to see you doing a Kidou, you talentless midget!"

"**MIDGET**!? WHY YOU—!"

They butted heads, angrily glowering at each other. Orihime pleaded with them to stop their bickering, with Uryu backing her up. Chad remained silent, but noticed that they were approaching Seireitei and tells them, effectively stopping the bickering and making them freeze in realization of what was happening.

Needless to say, they were screwed.

* * *

In her prison cell, Rukia squinted slightly in surprise, catching a glowing object approaching the shield that protected Seireitei.

* * *

"We have no choice! Everyone! Pour in all the reiatsu you got!"

Obeying immediately, each of them poured in as much reiatsu as they could, albeit they were also trying to ignore the outrageous amount of reiatsu that Ichigo was pouring in.

Rather than breaking through or disintegrating, the cannonball hits the protective membrane of Seireitei with a loud 'bam, getting stuck in it as electricity crackled around the cocoon. With one hard and final push, the cannonball breaks through the membrane and dissolves into a residual image, strangely keeping all of them hovering in the air next to the membrane.

Ichigo commented on the phenomenon, and Yoruichi answered with a slightly panicked tint. "Don't get separated! The cannonball dissolved when it hit the shield and it's only temporally holding us up! It will eventually create a whirlpool, then explode and vanish. If we are separated by that time, we will be blown apart by the shock!" Everyone's eyes widened when their surroundings changed, separating and being sucked into something, as if they were inside a whirlpool. Yoruichi gritted his sharp teeth, shouting a warning. "It has begun!"

"Woooohhh!" Ganju freaked out, seeing he was being separated from the others. "Damn it... I'm not gonna get blown away!" roared Ganju, frantically swimming towards the closest person to him, which unfortunately for him and the victim, happened to be Ichigo. Alas, by then it was too late as Ganju grabbed the hems of her hakama, dragging her with him, much to her dismay and they started bickering. Uryu yelled at them to cut it out, exasperated with them for bickering in a situation so serious.

"Grab the person closest to you and don't let go!" yelled Yoruichi.

Chad grabs hold of Orihime. Yoruichi sits on Ichigo's shoulder. When Chad sees Uryū swept away, he leaves Orihime behind and flies towards Uryū, grabs him and throws him towards Orihime, but is now being swept away himself. As Chad makes his way to the ground, Yoruichi assures Ichigo that Chad will likely survive, and if she wanted to meet Chad again that she must ensure her own survival first. Ichigo and Orihime make a desperate attempt to reach each other, but just when they are about to, the cannonball explodes and sends the people inside it to the ground in four different directions.

* * *

Down on the grounds of Seireitei in some unknown street, Zaraki Kenpachi, captain of the 11th Squad groaned in dismay and frustration, watching four separate trails of smoke going in different directions each. "Damn it... Which one is the strongest!?"

* * *

Alone, and seeing he was about to crash, Chad readies his arm.

* * *

Grabbing Uryu and telling him to not let go, Orihime calls on the Shun Shun Rikka.

* * *

Seeing as he and Ichigo are about to land with no way to soften their fall, Ganju uses one of his techniques to do so. Ganju moved his hand in the same pattern as a trembling current and shouted, "Turn to sand, Seppa!" With a resounding crash, they land on the ground that fortunately wasn't as hard, seeing as it turned into a sandpit.

On the other hand, the two had been buried inside the sand, and they burst out, spitting out large amount of sand in disgust least they choke.

Spitting another mouthful of sand, Ichigo muttered, "Thanks to your weird skill, we are saved..." She heard Ganju dumbly questioning how the sandpit got there, and got irritated; seeing Ganju was still choking in sand, she aimed a kick at ass, sending him face-first into the sand. "Your skill did this so quit complaining and shut up!"

Ganju quickly recovered and got up, grabbing the lapel of Ichigo's black uniform, hauling her up to his face, "You got a lot of nerve, kicking the guy who saved your life!"

"Who said that!? I said we were saved!"

Then, Ichigo stiffened when she sensed someone behind her.

"Yahoo! What luck!" laughed someone.

Alert and wary, Ganju and Ichigo look at the person who laughed, spotting two guys jumping from the rooftops and landing on the ground smoothly. One of them was a guy with a bald head, while the other was a pretty boy with feathers on his eyes.

"We skipped out on the tiresome guard duty, and you fall right into our hands!" said the bald guy gleefully, his sheathed weapon on his shoulder. Then, he began hopping from one foot to another... Was he dancing? Yep, he was, and he was even singing. "Lucky! I'm lucky! Today I am lucky!" He paused, and grinned, pointing his weapon at them. "But you two, on the other hand, are not."

Ichigo and Ganju just looked at him, puzzled.

* * *

**Sorry if this part sucked, or if some characters are OOC. X-X Though, the battle scenes that are coming as going to be a bit difficult... And yeah, Renji and Rukia still think that Ichigo is a dude, because maybe Renji didn't pay more attention than necessary, hence he only caught "orange hair and wide-ass sword", and Ichigo easily fits the descriptions along with the resolve to save Rukia.**


	4. Tag Team? Nah!

**Thankyou all for the review, favorites and follows! :D Happy that some like this story, though, admittedly I am mainly writing this for my own amusement. :O**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

* * *

_**~~Chapter 4. Tag Team? . . .Nah!~~**_

* * *

Baldy began his 'dance' anew, singing and tiptoeing across the floor. "Luck, luck, luck, luck, luck, luck... Lucky! Luck, luck, luck... Lucky! Luck, luck, luck, luck... Lucky-y!" He finished with a flip over his sheathed weapon and a nice guy pose, his bald head shining in the light.

"..." A butterfly flew by as Ichigo and Ganju stared at him awkwardly.

Pretty boy sighed as his companion's eye twitched, gaining a tickmark on his bald forehead. Finally, baldy exploded, "What're you doing, fools!? I did my 'Lucky Dance' for you while waiting for you to come crawling out! What're you gaping like idiots at!? Don't you understand human kindness, huh!?"

Ichigo deadpanned. "Why do I always meet weirdos like Baldy?" she asked to no one.

"Baldy!?" The guy look offended and ticked off.

However, once the pretty boy caught sight of Ichigo, he just squealed. "You! You look so adorable!"

"What did you say?" muttered Ichigo darkly, and no, her—HIS cheeks didn't have a pink tint! Why the hell would that happen!? He was a guy, well, now he was a girl— STOP! Sh—HE was a guy and not a girl!

"Shut it, Yumichika. Those two are the enemy." Baldy barked to pretty boy AKA Yumichika.

"I know, Ikkaku. It is a shame that such beautiful face belongs to the enemy..." mumbled Yumichika in a sad, sullen tone.

"Live with it." Baldy AKA Ikkaku snorted.

Ichigo was gnashing her teeth in anger at the pretty boy's comment. Adorable? She!? He gotta be kidding!

"Psst!" hissed Ganju, oblivious to his companion's anger and dismay.

"What is it?" muttered Ichigo, looking at Ganju from the corner of her eye. Both promptly ignored the arguments and fits Baldy and Pretty boy were throwing around.

"I'm gonna run the first chance I get." said Ganju.

"You're gonna run?" Ichigo spun around to face him, annoyed. "What're you thinking!?"

"Fool!" snapped Ganju. "Can't you see!? They have way greater Reiatsu than normal Shiniga—"

"What's this arguing about!?" demanded Ikkaku, crouching near the sandpit.

"Humph... Maybe they are scared out of their wits to fight us." Yumichika flicked his hair in a slightly arrogant manner.

"Well, let them take their time and argue." Ikkaku snickered.

"But, if they take too long, other guys will come and steal our glory." Yumichika told him.

"Yeah that's true. Fine! I'll set a time limit! So kind, right? I'm gonna do another dance—" Ikkaku's further words were ignored as Ganju turned to Ichigo.

"Anyhow, I'm gonna run! If you wanna fight, be my guest!" Ganju told Ichigo, and he jumped out of the sandpit, running off.

"Huh?" Ikkaku stopped dead, raising an eyebrow. "A disagreement?"

Sweatdropping and still staring after the running figure of Ganju, Ichigo nodded wearily. "Something like that."

Ikkaku frowned. "He really shouldn't have run away. Get him."

"Right. I'm on it." said Yumichika, running after Ganju.

Ganju looked back, and he scowled, seeing certain pretty boy following him. "As expected, one of them is after me. Damn!"

Returning to where the sandpit was, Ichigo jumped out of the sandpit, patting the sleeve of her shihakusho a bit to get some sand off.

"Yo!" called Ikkaku, standing still.

"Huh?"

"Tell me... Why didn't you run?" asked Ikkaku, undeniably curious. The Ryoka girly in front of him looked pretty weak, but he had to admit that the Reiatsu rolling off her was nothing to scoff at, hence the reason he still hadn't turn away; who knows? Maybe, for once, a girl could give him a good fight. Also, the wide-ass blade that she carried piqued his interest; there was no way a weak-ass chick could carry a blade that huge. She's got to be strong, if not, he would be very disappointed, that and the girl would be dead. Ikkaku continued expressing his curiosity and interest. "That guy ran because he saw that out strength was greater than his, right?" He smirked. "I think he made the right decision."

Ichigo sighed, and responded. "If your strength is greater than mine, it's useless to run. You will just catch up for sure." She looked at her soon-to-be opponent in the eye. "But, if my strength is greater, I'll just defeat you and be on my way. That's all." explained Ichigo, grabbing the hilt of Zangetsu warily, ready to dash and attack or dodge and block.

"I see... I guess you're not stupid after all." Ikkaku grinned, sensing the slight spike of Reiatsu of the orange-haired girl. More so, the girl did have some brains concerning the battlefield; there was no way the girl and her companion could run away when he and Yumichika could use Shunpo to catch up.

They stared at each other for a while. Then, suddenly, Ikkaku draws his Zanpakutō with amazing speed and brings it down on Ichigo, who jumps up in time to dodge it. _'She dodged, moves well.'_ thought Ikkaku, smirking as he spoke loud enough for his opponent to hear him. "Let me warn ya, I won't go easy on you just 'cause you are a chick."

"I wasn't expecting anything of that sort." said Ichigo, expression hardening at the implication of it. She was getting too much comments of being underestimated, and it's just because she was a girl. No, wait, sh—he is a boy, but with the body of a girl, the baldy didn't know that though. Ichigo wondered, was this how Tatsuki felt? Never mind that she had beat her—his ass back when s—he was a child with his mothe— NO! That was a dangerous territory he was treading on, stop thinking about that. Sh—He could still protect as well as when his body was a boy. Nothing changed. Nothing at all.

Ichigo grabbed her sword, brandishing Zangetsu and charging at Ikkaku, who smirked and blocked with his scabbard. Ichigo's eyes widened at this move. Ikkaku just grinned, and using his other hand that holds his Zanpakutō, he tries to attack Ichigo, but Ichigo dodges. The two fight and simultaneously injure each other's forehead.

Ignoring the blood dripping on the ground from the wound on his forehead, Ikkaku grinned, thinking that maybe his decision to fight this Ryoka girl wasn't sounding bad as seconds ticked by. "At least, tell me your name."

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Ichigo? . . . That's a good name." commented Ikkaku.

"You think so? No one ever praised it before." said Ichigo, slightly surprised and pleased. Her—His mother came up with this name, and it was. . . pleasing to hear someone praise his mother's 'naming skills', never mind that it also meant 'strawberry'.

"Yeah. . ." Ikkaku said, and honestly, he couldn't blame others for nor understanding the meaning of it all. The Ryoka—no, Ichigo's name did mean strawberry, but some fools just couldn't grasp the other meaning in it. "Guys, or in this case, girls with the word 'ichi' in their names are full of talent and good looks." Then, he introduced himself. "I'm the 11th Squad's 3rd seat, Madarame Ikkaku!" He grinned, tightening his grip on his Zanpakuto, excited at the upcoming battle. "My fellow 'ichi', let's be friends!"

"No way!" Ichigo scoffed despite the smile on her lips, holding Zangetsu tighter.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ganju is running and panting, turning over an alleyway and running down. Ganju was frustrated. "Dammit! He's persistent, won't he ever stop!?"

Yumichika is hot on his heels. "Hmph... What ugly running..." uttered Yumichika, eyeing the running Ganju in distaste. Seeing something ahead, he called out. "Up ahead."

Ganju does so, eyes widening when he saw a dead-end, and he quickly used his Seppa to make a hole and escape through the wall.

"Hmmm... Such a strange ability." commented Yumichika, stopping to inspect the hole for a second. "That's how you made that crater earlier?" He shrugged, jumping through the hole.

Ganju kept running, and soon enough he encountered another wall. "Seppa!" he shouted and made another hole as he jumped through.

"Up ahead, there's…" Yumichika said to himself, smirking.

Ganju kept running and skidded to a stop, just in time, at the edge of a hole that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, steadying himself before he fell in. "W-What is this!?" Ganju gaped as he peered down at the completely dark hole; he couldn't see the bottom.

"This is the old execution grounds." stated Yumichika, standing a few feet behind Ganju, cornering the older-looking man. "Long ago, we brought captive Hollows and threw them down here to fight with criminals. We would watch the spectacle from up here."

"Heh... Shinigamis do crude things, don't they...?" muttered Ganju, slight sweat trailing down his cheek.

"Not as crude as your face." countered Yumichika in a slightly haughty manner.

"Pity you..."

Yumichika perked up, smiling smugly as he ran a hand through his hair. "'Pretty'? Even you recognize my dazzling handsomeness, don't you?"

Ganju twitched in disbelief and annoyance, and he yelled. "I said 'pity', not 'pretty'!"

"I realize that! I simply made a witty, humorous joke!" Yumichika snapped in annoyance. "Besides, that 'crude' practice no longer exists. Only, those who fall in can never get out." He grabbed the hilt of his sword. "That should be enough chasing around and prattle for now. It's time, I'll let you choose." He brandished his sword, the blade gleaming threateningly. Yumichika smirked. "Will you die by my sword? Or will you fall in that hole and die? Sa, which will you choose?" Ganju swallowed, inching towards the edge as his fist tightened. Yumichika hummed as if he realized something. "Ooops, if you're angry, turn around and let me see your face. No matter how it looks, I love that look of agony when they must choose how they die." finished Yumichika rather sinisterly.

"You're a crude bastard after all, aren't you?" said Ganju, turning his face slightly to look at Yumichika.

* * *

Returning with certain carrot-top and baldy, Ichigo wiped the blood getting on her eye.

"I don't get it."

"Huh?"

"Sure, we got a distance between us, but only a greenhorn would let a hand leave his—" Ikkaku paused, realizing that his opponent wasn't a fellow guy, and corrected himself. "—her sword during a match."

"S-Shut up!" Ichigo huffed. "I can't see with the blood in my eye! I just wiped it!"

"On the forehead, even a shallow wound bleeds profusely. . . If you don't stop the wound . . . " replied Ikkaku calmly, pulling the bottom of his sword's hilt as Ichigo's wound lets out a downpour of blood. The man put a finger in the hilt and wipes that finger, applying its hidden ointment to his wound as he remarked. "It's useless to wipe it."

"Hey! That's dirty!" Ichigo yelled, gaping at the taller man. "You have a styptic to stop the bleeding!"

A tick mark appeared in Ikkaku's bald forehead as he yelled back. "It's not dirty! It's brains! BRAINS! You should admire being for being experienced!"

"Right. . ."

"Hah. . ." Ikkaku snorted. "You sure are like the other girls. You behave like a greenhorn, and you don't look much like a fighter." He eyed her petite form, it looked like a single punch could break her in pieces. He just hoped that Ichigo did live up to her Reiatsu waves, he wanted to have a fight without his superiors reprimanding him; not that he cared.

"Hn..." Ichigo ignored him, licking her fingers and running it over her wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"But..." Ikkaku suddenly came at her with various attacks, which Ichigo blocked. "You have excellent reflexes!" Ichigo swung down at him, Ikkaku blocking with his sword. "Although the attack is not as fierce as I would have liked, it is impressive for a chick!" Ichigo's eye twitched, and she quickly changed direction of the attack, feinting to the left and lunging with a thrust to the right in a rapidly vicious way; the guy just touched a nerve and she wasn't pleased. Fortunately for Ikkaku, he managed to adjust and block the attack, and he grinned. "However, your speed is not bad!" They clashes weapons several times and jump back a distance from each other. "You shouldn't look so angry, I'm praising you." Ikkaku looked amused. "You're too good to be dismissed as a greenhorn with natural abilities..." The feint and the thrusts of her attacks were, while not exactly perfect, not amateur. It can mean. . . . "Who was your teacher, Ichigo?"

"It was only for 10 days, so I don't know if I can call him 'Teacher'." replied Ichigo, slightly sour. After all, Getaboshi was the one who stuck her—him in this situation with the body of a girl. "...But there is a man who taught me how to fight." In other words, repeatedly tried to kill her until she could correctly attack and dodge; she couldn't say the methods didn't work though.

"Who?" questioned Ikkaku.

"Urahara Kisuke."

Ikkaku sucked in a shocked breath, a flash of a whitey-blonde haired man with a sneakily calm smile passing through his mind. He stared at Ichigo, narrowing his eyes. "I see... He was your teacher... In that case, it would be rude to kill you without giving you my all!" He adjusted his stance, slamming his scabbard and the hilt of his sword together, and he commanded. "Nobiro, Hozukimaru _(Grow, Demon Light)_!" His sword and scabbard glowed and merged into the form of what initially appears to be a Kikuchi Yari (spear) with a wax wood shaft. The pommel has a red horsehair tassel.

Ichigo tensed.

"No time to look surprised, Ichigo! I'm coming at ya!" He lunged and gave one final warning. "Don't misread this!"

Ichigo ducked the strike aimed at her head, dodging to the side as another one was aimed at her ribs. She batted aside the strikes with Zangetsu, smirking slightly. "Heh, a spear's reach is long, I know that much! I won't misread this!"

"Wrong!" Ikkaku smirked, spinning Hōzukimaru in his hand and holding it up.

Seeing the opening, Ichigo seizes the opportunity and launches herself at Ikkaku. He swung his Zanpakuto at her, and she dodged, partly blocking with Zangetsu as she kept her run towards him.

Ikkaku smirked, and yelled. "Split apart, Hozukimaru!"

Ichigo's eyes widened when the spear split into a three-part-pole, and she watched, as if in slow motion, as it came towards her face.

* * *

Yumichika frowned, looking at the cannonball that surrounded the ugly man and listening to his explanation. He scoffed. "Oh my, how he underestimates me... I am the 5th seat of the 11th Squad, the strongest squad. Don't think I am any ordinary Shinigami!" He ran a hand over the flat of his blade, commanding. "Hajike, Fuji Kujaku _(Bloom, Wisteria Peacock)_!" His Zanpakuto became crescent moon-like shaped. "I'll break that Reishukaku with a single blow!" With a flick of the wrist Yumichika separates his Zanpakutō into 4 sickles in a fan-like manner and stabs the cannonball, successfully penetrating it.

Ganju just laughed, revealing that if the cannonball was broken it would explode. In cue, the cannonball starts forming cracks, and in a sizable explosion Ganju is thrown across to the other side of the pit.

"You sneaky little..." growled Yumichika, wiping dust off his face.

"Clever strategy, wasn't it?" Ganju grinned, slowly getting up from the floor. "Still..." Ganju turned around, scowling. "You are a tough bastard!"

"Don't tell me you thought that was enough to kill me off..." uttered Yumichika, dusting dust off his body and adjusting his clothes. A small tick mark was present on his forehead as he glared at Ganju. "Now I'm really mad! You'll pay—!"

"Can't hear you!" Ganju laughed, turning to the wall in front of him. "Seppa!" He made another hole, much to Yumichika's indignation. Ganju snickered, slapping his butt in the Shinigami's direction. "Kiss my butt!" He jumped through the wall with a final snicker.

Yumichika growled, angered. "Ugly. . . To ugly!"

* * *

Ikkaku withdraws his blade, resting the weapon over his shoulders as he spoke up. "I warned you not to misread it. Hozukimaru is not a spear. It is a 'sansetsukon'."

Blood dripped the ground as Ichigo remained silent. She had just managed to bring her arm up and shield her face, and while her arm was injured it was better than her face. Ichigo clenched her hand, slightly relieved to find that it wasn't rendered entirely useless and that it could still move.

"Does it hurt?" questioned Ikkaku. "That hand can't probably hold a sword anymore." He grinned, adding. "I'm a kind-hearted guy. Ordinarily, I would have taken you alive. Sorry though, I get no recognition if I don't kill you." He shook his head in mock pity. "Guess you luck out, Ichigo, the world isn't kind to even girls like you. It's kill or be killed."

"I know that." came Ichigo muffled voice as she tied the cloth of Zangetsu's 'hilt' to her wound using her mouth, effectively making a makeshift bandage and stopping the bleeding.

"What're you doing?" asked Ikkaku, slightly surprised. Ichigo wasn't like other chicks he had encountered, they would usually give into tears or shake (or something) in front of stronger opponents, only a few of them had enough guts.

"Let's go!" whispered Ichigo, gathering slight Reiatsu within Zangetsu and running towards Ikkaku, blade held in a position to attack. Sh—He knew that her strength was weaker, but speed accented her well. However, during the training, in a particular moment when she had been extremely pissed at Getaboshi, she had discovered a trick to deliver powerful (or something like that) blows; shame that it didn't hit Getaboshi dead center. If she gathered enough Reiatsu (she didn't know how, but it felt strange and she had memorized the feeling after getting pissed at Getaboshi many times) around Zangetsu or something like that, her blows would be significantly stronger than normal.

Ikkaku stepped aside, and his eyes widened slightly when the wall he had just been standing in front of was destroyed by Ichigo.

"Don't talk as if it is over." said Ichigo with a glare. "I still haven't shown you my skill yet. It starts now, Ikkaku. This time it will be you who can't hold your sword!"

Slowly, a grin tugged at Ikkaku's lips as he stood up, saying. "Fine words, greenhorn!" He closed his eyes and smirked. He opened his eyes as he chuckled, letting his Zanpakuto lay lazily on his shoulder. "I wonder, where does that confidence come from?" His eyes snapped open as he sent the blade of his sansetsukon at Ichigo first.

Ichigo blocked with Zangetsu and deflected it back. Ikkaku disappeared, only for Ichigo to see him running towards her with sword at ready. Ichigo's eyes widened as Ikkaku grinned, shouting happily. "Too slow!" He attacks with the end part of Hozukimaru, and Ichigo barely blocked with Zangetsu, but the impact causes her to lose balance and almost fall.

Regaining balance, Ichigo attacks Ikkaku this time, catching Hozukimaru at the chain, but Ikkaku re-joins two parts of Hozukimaru and uses the remaining section to swing at Ichigo, who evades by leaning back. Ikkaku, with Hozukimaru as a full spear, continues to come at Ichigo from different angles. Ikkaku grinned, and began mocking. "I won't be able to hold my sword!? Don't make me laugh! It's you who won't hold your sword again!" Hōzukimaru's chain coils itself around Zangetsu twice, allowing Ikkaku the opportunity to pull Zangetsu down and kick Ichigo in the face.

As Hōzukimaru comes smashing down on Ichigo once more, she uses Zangetsu to knock it back, stunning Ikkaku and this time allowing Ichigo the opportunity to counter a taunt of her own. "Wasn't I supposed to be slow?"

"Hmph... You are, that's just a fluke." said Ikkaku, re-joining Hozukimaru into a spear.

"Then, I'll show you it's not a fluke." stated Ichigo, tightening her grip around Zangetsu. She knew that it was not a 'want' in the speed department, but a 'need' since her strength was out of the talk. However, she believed in her own speed, she had to if she wanted to save Rukia. If she doubted herself or hesitated she would die; nothing more, nothing less.

Ikkaku jumps up and landed on a rooftop before anything could be done, scoffing. "I told you, too slow!"

"Tch!" Ichigo struck her sword into the wall on whose roof Ikkaku stood, gathering slight reiatsu to draw a line across it to make the ground under Ikkaku's feet fall away. Then, Ichigo attacks Ikkaku, but the latter jumps away again and Ichigo is greeted with an unavoidable Hozukimaru in the face.

Ichigo skidded back in a sprawled way from the impact, grunting slightly as Ikkaku laughed, swinging Hozukimaru like a helicopter blade. "Humph! What's wrong? Talk is all you can do?" asked Ikkaku, smirking. "Hozukimaru can transform at will. A greenhorn like you can't keep up, huh?"

"That's not true." Ichigo slowly got to her feet, orange bangs hiding her eyes. "I've finally gotten used to your attacks." She smirked at Ikkaku, opening her fist, from which she drops scraps of red cloth.

Ikkaku choked slightly, rendered speechless as he noticed that the end of Hōzukimaru had been cracked. Ikkaku stares at his adversary in shock._ 'That girl... She took the end of Hozukimaru with her bare hands!'_ thought Ikkaku disbelievingly.

Ichigo gave a challenging smirk. "'Too slow', huh?"

* * *

"Try this way Ken-chan! Right up ahead!" said a tiny pink haired girl gleefully, pointing some street as she perched on the back of 'Ken-chan'. She's named Kusajishi Yachiru, also known as the Lieutenant of the 11th Squad.

"They better be! We've been running for a while without seeing a thing or someone!" complained a giant man with many scars and an eyepatch. He's known as Zaraki Kenpachi, the Captain of the 11th Squad.

"Oh, don't worry! My super sharp intuition never lets me down! Turn right, right here!" Yachiru tried to convince him as they turned a corner. They came to a stop, seeing that it was a dead-end.

"It's a dead-end." deadpanned Kenpachi, glaring at the wall as if it had offended him or something.

"Ah! Then, that way! That way!" chirped Yachiru, pointing a different direction.

"Are you sure we can trust this intuition of yours?" asked Kenpachi, glancing at the child suspiciously, but complying none the less.

* * *

"What's the matter, Ikkaku? Don't look so surprised. I hope you haven't lost your nerve."

Ichigo smirked, holding Zangetsu in a ready stance. "If you won't attack, I will." With that, she disappeared for a second, reappearing in the air as she reminded him. "I'll say it again, Ikkaku!" Ikkaku quickly re-joins Hozukimaru, holding the spear in position to block the air-bone Ichigo. "The one who won't be able to hold his sword is_ you_!" shouted Ichigo, slashing downwards and destroying the chain between two sections of Hozukimaru, spilling Ikkaku's blood as Zangetsu crashed against the floor with a slight burst of reiatsu, creating a crack on the ground.

Frozen and still holding his cleanly sliced Hozukimaru in mid-air, Ikkaku stood still as he registered the pain from the large wound on his front, extending from shoulder to hip in a rather vicious manner, blood splattered across his skin and clothes and dripping on the floor. "D-Dammit!" gasped out Ikkaku, glaring at Ichigo, who pointed Zangetsu at him again.

Ikkaku gritted his teeth, throwing the useless section of Hozukimaru to the ground. He grinned at Ichigo in a rather salvage manner. "H-Heh. . . W-What's wrong? It's over already. . .?"

Ichigo just stared at him silently.

"Too bad! I can still hold my sword!" cackled Ikkaku, grinning like a demon lusting for battle and blood. Holding one section of Hozukimaru and swinging the other around, he laughed like a maniac as he told Ichigo. "If you want to make me stop, you'll have to cut off my arm!"

"Put down your sword." said Ichigo, her one eye staring at him as the other remained closed to prevent blood from getting in.

"No way!"

"Don't! The fight is over! You know it! You lost!"

"Rubbish! This is a fight. It's over only when one is left alive!" roared Ikkaku, continuing to swing Hozukimaru as he charges at Ichigo, seeming to change his angle every few seconds as he growled like a vicious animal driven by instinct.

But, Ichigo wasn't seeing Ikkaku anymore, she was seeing the image of Getaboshi charging at her at a faster pace, sword held ready to strike and end her life. This technique had been used against her in her training, and what she was seeing before her was Getaboshi and Benihime, not Ikkaku and Hozukimaru. For a moment, she was thrust back into the memories of her training, and she snarled, thinking that Getaboshi was fooling around for being much slower; that infuriated her more than ever.

The only thought that crossed her mind was to strike Getaboshi and get even with him for putting her in a situation where her body is a girl. "Slow!" Ichigo spat out in an enraged voice, giving one powerful swing of Zangetsu, reiatsu trailing after the blade in a wave of blue energy.

A line of blood is drawn all the way up Ikkaku's arm, blood spurting out like a fountain. Ikkaku gasped, struggling to stand but failing. "Damn... You sure... are strong..." With that, he collapsed to his knees, as blood continued pouring out of his wounds. "Tch. . . I wasn't. . . Lucky . . ." He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Memories retreating, she calmed down, realizing that it wasn't Getaboshi, hence she had no need to hack the man to pieces. "Neither of us was lucky, bastard." Ichigo sighed, eyeing her bleeding arm, blood seeping through the makeshift bandages AKA Zangetsu's cloth. "Great... We are both going to bleed to death if I don't do something."

Then, something flashed from the corner of her eye, and she turned to see, much to her surprise, that the spear of Ikkaku had returned to its form of a normal sword and scabbard.

Ichigo stared at the weapon, a brown eye flickering between the bloodied wounds she and Ikkaku had, and the hilt of Hozukimaru which contained that medicine Ikkaku had used.

". . ."

After a while, she picked up the weapon. "Why not?" She pulled off the bottom of the hilt to get the medicine, then she paused, looking at the sword, and quickly added. "Sorry for intruding." Immediately she felt foolish, talking to an object that couldn't talk. Maybe it was a sign of insanity? If that was the case she blamed it all on Getaboshi.

The orange-haired girl ripped off her bandages with her teeth, stabbing Zangetsu to the ground and using her free hand (the one that was not holding Hozukimaru) to apply the ointment on her arm along with the cut on her forehead. After she finished, she glanced at the unconscious man, frowning as she crouched next to him. ". . . You may be an asshole, Ikkaku, but I still need someone to tell me where Rukia is." That and she didn't want to kill the guy just yet. He may have ticked her off and was a battle lunatic, but he was a good guy so far.

Ikkaku grunted as she wiped more ointment across his chest, and Ichigo smirked slightly in glee at how much she was using. For some reason she really took joy in getting even with other people. And while it was not very serious, it did give her some sort of amusement. This was how Tatsuki acted whenever someone did 'wrong' against her, and Ichigo didn't mind having this type of attitude. It gave her some sort of amusement amidst being a girl.

A snore came from Ikkaku, and Ichigo sighed as she finally finished adding the ointment, taking a seat on one of the rocks from the wall she had destroyed before. Hozukimaru in her hand since she didn't need Ikkaku to attack her as soon as he woke up, although Ichigo doubted he could even move; she did give him a rather serious wound.

She just hoped healing Ikkaku wouldn't come to bite her in the ass.

* * *

**Sorry if the battle scenes suck, but I am a no go for them. X.X Sorry for any other mistakes too.**

**The attack patterns of Ichigo is slightly different from the anime. In the anime, since his build is much stronger than the one in this fic, his attacks had been more stronger and he went around with power attacks. However, in this I am trying to make Ichigo go around with a style that compliments the extra agility that her female body gives her while still stuck a bit with the power attacks. **

**The thing where Ichigo gathers reiatsu around/in Zangetsu isn't the Getsuga Tensho, since it is in the instant of the slash that Zangetsu absorbes Ichigo's Reiatsu, and releases highly condensed spiritual energy at the tip of the blade, which, magnifying the slash attack, flies forward. The Getsuga Tensho uses a lot of Reiatsu (albeit it doesn't matter to Ichigo) since it needs a lot of it to condense and be damaging enough to cause the large scale destruction. However, in this chap, Ichigo only gives a bit of reiatsu (or Zangetsu absorbs a bit), it is not enough for Getsuga Tensho but is is enough for a small powered attack that is not as destructive as the Getsuga Tensho. Is it like making a small explosion when the blade is slashed forward, Zangetsu releasing the Reiatsu in a violent burst that aids a bit in power, hence the wall was destroyed. Sorry if I can't explain it, but I assure you that it is not the Getsuga Tensho. Er... You can call it like a watered-down (very much) version of Senju Tsunade's (From Naruto anime) technique, only with a sword instead of fists and with Zangetsu's help (or not? :D) in arranging the control. Either that or the Reiatsu enforces the blade a lot.**

**Please review.  
Feel free to tell me if someone is OOC or if anything is wrong; I am not really that experienced in writing Bleach, especially the battle scenes.  
TenraiTsukiyomi**


	5. Breakthrough

**Thankyou those that reviewed, favorited or followed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

_**~~Chapter 5. Breakthrough~~**_

* * *

Leaning against the wall, Rukia clenched her hands around the white shihakusho she was wearing, deep in thought. "That light of this morning... What was it? I can't sense any Reiatsu, but..." She bit her lip in worry, remembering the words of Renji as the image of a scowling, orange-haired boy flashed through her mind's eye. "...is it Ichigo?" Rukia hoped that it was not the case. The strength of the Gotei 13, especially the Captains or Lieutenant, wasn't a thing to be underestimated. Ichigo had only been a Shinigami for a few months, he stood no chance against them and he would die; that was the last thing Rukia wanted to befall on her friend.

* * *

The blue sky greeted him way too cheerfully as Ikkaku slowly blinked, grimacing as he tried to move his body without success. Now, why couldn't he move again? Did he train against other members or did Zaraki-taichou pummel him again? Hmmm... Wait, why the heck was he thinking... about... strawberries...?

. . . Strawberries. . .?

. . . Oh?

. . . Oh.

_. . . Oh!_

Damn it all! Why in the fucking levels of hell was he still alive!? He got beat by that Ryoka, Kurosaki Ichigo! He is supposed to be dead! His wounds made it so he would bleed to death considering no Squad 4 Shinigami came across him, which was the most likely case since he wasn't jailed inside a room; not only that, but he got beat by a... a... a GIRL. Never mind that the chick was badass, it doesn't change anything. Fuck! He wanted some sake—

"You awake?" asked the voice of the same person he was thinking about, the one who had beaten him down and apparently didn't kill him... _yet_.

Finally, he spotted her sitting on the remains of the destroyed wall, smiling with that... that completely humanly carefree smile of hers.

"Ichigo... Why're you still here...?" Ikkaku glared at her from his position on the floor.

"Man! I never knew that 'till just a bit ago." Ichigo held up a certain sheathed katana, catching full attention of the bald man. "So the liberated Zanpakutou returns to normal when its owner loses consciousness, eh? I will try to keep that in mind."

Ikkaku's jaw dropped when he noted just whose katana that was. "My Hozukimaru! Damn you, give it back!"

"I ain't gonna take it. I just borrowed some o' the styptic in it." Ichigo gave a far too cheerful grin as she looked at Ikkaku. "Well, after I used it on me and you, there was none left though."

Ikkaku's eyes widened, and he looked down at his chest to confirm that yes, the girl had used some of his medicine to heal him. The wound that went from shoulder to hip was covered in ointment, stopping the bleeding and sealing the wound momentarily.

"But man! This medicine works hella good!" Ichigo praised the medicine, grinning.

"Y-You bitch! What the hell have you done?!"

Ichigo decided to ignore the unintentional jab at her—his almost nonexistent male pride, and hid whatever inner turmoil she had; instead she groaned as she put Hozukimaru by her side once again. "Jeez. What's with that tone? Don't get so pissed just 'cause I used your medicine without permission."

"That's not it!" snapped Ikkaku, gnashing his teeth. "Damn, and here I thought it was weird that I didn't die from the bleeding. Survive by being saved by you, what a freakin' disgrace!" And to rub salt on the wound, he got beaten by a girl; at least if it was a man his pride would have been more intact. Ikkaku glared at her in the eye. "Damn, if my body would move, I'd beat you back to the 2nd grade!"

The orangette scowled at his attitude. "Che. If I knew you were gonna say that, I wouldn't have helped you." She stood up, turning to Ikkaku and walking to him. "Well, I don't care if you're thankful or not. I just want to ask you some questions."

Ikkaku raised an eyebrow, closing his eyes with a sigh as he turned his head away. "I'd figured it would be something like that. I got no luck..." Considering that the interrogator was a girl, he was sure that she would annoy him until he answered; he knew that much from his Lieutenant's antics and her complices. It would be better to hand out what the girl wants instead of arguing, it would just hurt his head in the end; besides, he was more of an action guy, he had no interest in a mental battle. "What do you wanna know? Want me to tell ya my birthday?" asked Ikkaku sarcastically.

Ichigo's expression sobered up, brown eyes hardening as she stared down at him, and she said simply. "Kuchiki Rukia's location."

Ikkaku's eyes widened in surprise. "That death row inmate? Whadda you people have to do with that trash?"

The Kurosaki promptly restrained the urge to kick the baldy for insulting Rukia, expression gaining a slightly intimidating look as she responded. "We came to save her."

"W-WHAAAT!? T-To save her...?" Ikkaku's jaw dropped in disbelief, not sure if he had heard her correctly. Save Kuchiki Rukia? Was she insane? It was basically going against the whole Gotei 13, including the captains and the Soutaicho! No, calm down, Ikkaku; think things throughly, the girl couldn't be that suicidal, could she? Well, one of the ways to find out if she came from some loony bin were in his mind. "How many of you came? Nine or ten at minimal I'd bet!"

Instead of immediately answering, Ichigo frowned thoughtfully as she counted off her fingers._ 'Let's see, there's myself, Chad, Inoue, Ishida, Ganju, and Yoruichi-san; that makes it six. Wait, does Yoruichi-san count?'_ Ichigo stared at her fingers for a bit, before flipping them to face Ikkaku as she announced. "Nope. Five and half. Five humans and an animal."

For a moment, his brain short-circuited as he tried to process what the orangette had said. She gotta be joking, right? There's gotta be a limit to how stupid someone could be; maybe he heard wrong? But no, his ears didn't deceive him. However, he still gave her a 'are you kidding me' look. "Five humans and an animal?! Do you really think you can save her with just that many?" Each Squad had like over 200 members, and here the Ryoka invaded with 5 **humans** and an animal?

"That's right."

The bald man stared at her with a strange expression, his lips twitching. "Pfft...! Wahahahahaha!" Finally, Ikkaku lost it and he started laughing uncontrollably. He was gasping, anime tears prickling at the corner of his eyes due to laughter, and he managed to choke out some words. "T-There's no way! Hahaha! You must be retarded! Hahahaha—ugh! Shit! I laughed so hard I opened my wound! Damn, it hurts! It's spewing, gah!" Blood started spurting like a fountain from the half-sealed wound on his chest, making Ikkaku freak out and thrash around.

"_You_ are the retarded one..." Ichigo muttered to herself, sweatdropping as she watched him thrash. Damn, he was going to open his wound further, maybe she should kick him to make him stop? It usually worked whenever Goat-face had some unruly patients, though Ichigo sure as hell wasn't going to admit ever using a technique from her father, he would never let her live it down. Anyway, she hoped Ikkaku stopped laughing soon, she didn't spend her time saving him just to have him die of laughter. Not to mention he still had to tell her the location where Rukia was held.

Fortunately, Ikkaku calmed down after a few moments, letting out an exasperated breath. "Well, if you go straight south from here, you'll find the offices of the Gotei 13."

"Huh?" Ichigo crouched down to peer at him more closely, slightly incredulous. "You are willing to give me that information? Wait, how do I know you aren't lying?"

"Don't interrupt me! I don't care if you believe me or not, just shut up and listen!" snapped Ikkaku, before he resumed his explanation. "At the west end of the offices, there stands a pure white tower. She should be in there."

"Re-Really?" Ichigo eyed him doubtfully, not totally believing him. After all, the guy had been her enemy just moments before; this is the classic scene she has seen in the movies or comics. Evil guy fools idiot hero into believing he is trustworthy, mix those up and you get a successful trap and a screwed up situation.

"What're you suspecting!? I don't give a shit what you do with her. It is your choice whether you believe me or not; if you wanna save her, go ahead, I ain't stopping ya." said Ikkaku, causing Ichigo's lips to press together as she thought about it. Ikkaku scowled, "Hey, if you stand around here, others will find you! If you're going, go away already!" He sure as hell didn't know why he warned her, he just did and end of the discussion.

"Y-Yeah... Thanks, I owe ya one, Ikkaku."

"Don't owe me, gosh. Cut the mushy crap, you are making me sick."

Ichigo stood up from her crouching position and started to walk away, but Ikkaku spoke up. "Wait a minute. Can I ask you something?" The orange-haired girl stopped, turning around as she looked at him, puzzled. Regardless of her confusion, Ikkaku persisted, a little curious about the target of his captain. "Who's the strongest in your group?"

"The strongest of our group. . .? Well..." Ichigo's brow knitted together in thought, slightly dumbfounded. She honestly didn't know how to answer that. Sh—He was a bit behind the level of power she would like since sh—he was a girl now, hence she had to start over to regain some lost skills, albeit other skills were upgraded thanks to the petite build she now had. Gosh, she never knew a body could bend _that way_, Getaboshi didn't need to force her to watch those things; just watching them made her back hurt. Also, Yoruichi-san did mention that the others had their own training. Hmm... Guess she's just going to guess the answer, wouldn't harm to answer Ikkaku's question, right? "...that would be me."

"I see... In that case, be careful of my squad captain. The Captain ain't interested in weaklings. If what you said is true, make no mistake, the one he'll be after is _you_." Ikkaku warned bluntly.

Ichigo stared at him, realizing that he was completely serious in his warning, and she asked. "Is he strong?"

Ikkaku just smiled grimly. "When you see him, you'll see what I mean. Of course, that's if you can live long enough for your brain to comprehend his strength." He wouldn't lie, his captain was one of the most powerful people he had ever met; Captain was a battle demon, and he craved for battle more than his Squad members considering that he wanted to have an opponent that actually matched him.

The orangette could feel a thin trail of sweat sliding down her cheek. "What's his name?"

"11th Squad Captain, Zaraki Kenpachi."

* * *

Speaking of the devil, Kenpachi cursed as he was faced with another dead end, and he glared at the wall in front of him, willing it to disappear or bust into flames. It was very fortunate that the wall wasn't 'alive', not many could survive a glare from Zaraki Kenpachi himself after all.

"Even though you were first out on the hunt, you managed to get yourself lost! Ken-chan, you got no sense of direction!" Yachiru called out cheerfully, clinging to the giant man's shoulder as always.

Kenpachi looked at her from the corner of his eye, slightly incredulous and irritated. "Bakayaro! This happened because I trusted your so called intuition or whatever!" He tch'ed, turning from the wall and walking away. "Forget it! Let's go to the next one."

"Aye-aye, sir!" Yachiru giggled as the two of them moved further out into the Seireitei in search of the strongest Ryoka.

Coincidentally, they were also moving further away from the Senzaikyu, the location where their nameless target was headed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ichigo was running down the streets trying to find Ganju with no success so far, and she was undoubtedly frustrated. _'Dammit, where the heck did that freakin' Ganju run off too? Ikkaku said the one who followed him was ranked 5th among the 11th Squad... What did he look like again? I think... Er... Umm... Huh? Whatever! — Oops!'_ Ichigo hastily adjusted Zangetsu, the giant cleaver sword having slid off a bit from its position, she still ran as she returned to her thought process. _'So basically, that guy is the 5th strongest after the captain. I've gotta save Ganju. There's no telling whether he can take on that guy or not.'_ thought Ichigo, then she scowled, glaring at the walls she ran by. _'Not only that, but what the heck is with this? The walls are the same wherever I go!'_

"Ah geezus. Now I'm pissed off." Frustrated by the lack of progress of her search, she skidded to a stop and decided to hell with it. Ichigo took a deep breath, and bellowed with all her might. "DAMMIT, GANJU! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!? IF YOU'RE AROUND, SHOOT OFF SOME FIREWORKS AND SHOW ME WHERE YOU ARE! YOU DUMBASS!" Her scream gave the impression of an echo that rang clear, but Ichigo stopped dead, stiffening when she felt something, and she slowly looked to the side to see a group of Shinigami staring at her.

They blinked owlishly.

She gulped, and she summed up one word that described her situation, "Crap."

Immediately, the group began screaming obscenities as they lunged at Ichigo with swords drawn, the orangette freaking out as she sprinted away. The group of Shinigami gave chase, still screaming threats at her running form.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" chanted Ichigo, looking over her shoulder to see that the Shinigamis, while still on her tail, were getting behind due to her faster speed. She cursed her bad luck and the dumbass who was the cause of the group tailing after her. "Dammit! Ganju, where the hell did you run off!?" screamed Ichigo, quickening her pace when the group did some effort to run faster.

The chase continued for some more minutes until Ichigo got annoyed by their bickering and decided to do the thing she should have done since the beginning: Kick their asses. Ichigo skidded to a stop, whirling around to face them, making the group of Shinigami hesitate at her deadly look.

Some panicked screaming, useless struggles, and broken bones later, Ichigo slammed her foot on one of the still conscious Shinigamis to keep him down, and she looked up to see a colorful firework being spat in the sky. "What the heck. It's that way... Took him long enough to fire 'em up, geez." grumbled Ichigo, stomping her foot down the back of a Shinigami when he stirred, and she ordered. "Shut up."

But, fate had to screw her again.

"Look! A sword bigger than the wielder and orange hair!"

"There's no mistaking it!"

"There's that Ryoka!"

"After her!"

Ichigo cringed, turning tail and sprinting down the streets once more. She would have tried to kick their asses, but doing so meant delaying her search for Ganju, which meant wasting time, which meant that Rukia's execution was nearer by the second. Either way, any option was not looking very pretty.

* * *

"Wah! We're close!" Yachiru looked at the pretty fireworks shooting up the sky. Then, she turned to her captain with a bright smile. "But, it's not this way." The pair stared at the wall before them, Yachiru cheerfully finishing. "After all, it's a dead end. We should have gone right back there, don't you think?"

Kenpachi craned his neck to look at her in irritation. "YOU said to come this way, dammit!"

"EH!? Ken-chan, it's wrong to blame others for your mistakes!" Yachiru whined, pouting as she pointed towards some random direction. "It's that way, isn't it? Come on, it's that way."

The scar-ridden man got an anger mark, and he lifted his foot and smashed the wall to his right, making it crumble into pieces.

"This way, right?"

"Yup!"

Kenpachi started jogging fast in that direction.

* * *

"WHOOOOOOAAHH!" screamed Ganju as he ran down the streets, a group of dozens Shinigamis hot on his tail. "Why the hell am I the only one getting chased around over and over!?" demanded Ganju to no one, the group behind him beginning to hurl insults as they chased him, mostly calling him ugly, much to his irritation since the ones chasing him were just as ugly or more.

Then, he spotted a certain orange-haired girl turning over a corner. "Ichigo!" Ganju could feel relief crashing down on him, that girl was hella strong and—

"Hey, Ganju!" shouted Ichigo, waving a hand to them and running from her own mob of Shinigami.

Ganju's jaw dropped and he shrieked. "W-Wait a minute! Why are you getting chased around too!? It makes no sense to get together!" Ganju looked at the orangette and the mob behind her in horror. "Idiot! Stop waving at me! You're riling up the guys running behind you! Dammit, back off I said! Your bringing them towards me! UWAHHHH!" Ganju screamed as a head on collision almost came.

Fortunately, instincts kicked in as Ichigo jumped over him and kicked a guy in the face, pulling the still bandaged Zangetsu off her back and swinging the now-somewhat-blunt-blade around, smacking it in the faces of the Shinigamis with a sickening crunch. Ganju ducked underneath her kick, attacking the guys chasing Ichigo with some punches of his own.

Then, Ichigo's grip tightened on Zangetsu; and Ganju could, much to his dread, feel _thick_ Reiatsu being concentrated on her sword. "Let's go, Ganju! DUCK!" yelled Ichigo, swinging her sword around with newly crazed vigour.

* * *

A group of Shinigami from the Squad 4 relief unit had been dispatched, and now they were running through the alleyway with the mission to aid the wounder or capture any Ryoka if possible.

"This is Iemura." The leader, Iemura, reported to the speaker hung around his neck. "Squad 4 Unohana Relief Crew, group 1, 6 and 14 are approaching enemy disposition." Then, he barked out to the group under his orders. "Come on, lets move out! This is not a drill!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SWINGING AN OVERGROWN BLADE OUT OF THE BLUE, YOU MORON! You almost took my freaking head off! Are you crazy!?" screamed Ganju, tears of fright streaming from his eyes in hysterics as he glared at Ichigo, a hand held protectively over his neck.

"Shut up! I told you to duck, didn't I!?" shouted Ichigo as she laid Zangetsu across her shoulders.

Ganju got into her face, angered. "What good is a warning if it comes at the same time as the thing you're being warned about!?"

"Well, you should have reacted right away!"

"Like I could have, you moron!"

They stopped their bickering and straightened, looking at the Shinigami still surrounding them.

"Let's see... So now what?" mused Ganju, eyeing the harsh looking Shinigami shooting him dirty glares and giving Ichigo less than appreciative glances. Ganju doubted that Ichigo was aware of them with the way she was handling it, that or she was just acting or plain stupid. "We got away with a surprise attack just now, but I have a feeling it ain't going to work a second time; those guys don't look like the type to back off."

"Che!" Ichigo just scowled, glaring at them.

Then, a commotion build up and the brute Shinigamis began yelling, rioting around as they pushed something or someone around.

"Hmm?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow, a huge question mark floating over her head as she looked at the group.

Finally, someone was spat out of the group, the person landing in front of the two Ryoka in a painful heap, whimpering slightly in pain from his rough landing. The two Ryoka stared at him, bewildered.

Slowly, Ganju got a huge grin on his face as an idea came to his head. "Ichigo, I have an easy plan to get us out of here."

"What a coincidence..." drawled Ichigo, staring down at the Shinigami. "Me too."

The unknown Shinigami tentatively lifted his head to look at them, feeling something akin to dread gathering in his stomach. "A-Ah... A plan to get out of here?" The Shinigami was breaking in a cold sweat, swallowing nervously. "Ah, u-umm... c-could it be... that you two are the... alleged... Ryo—KA!" The Shinigami shrieked when suddenly he was pulled up by the collar of his shirt by Ganju, Ichigo holding her giant cleaver sword known as Zangetsu near his neck in a threatening manner.

Ichigo and Ganju had disturbing, crazy and utterly sadistic grins on their faces, with the Shiba announcing. "Hey! Open up a path, you punks!"

"If you punks value your friend's life, that is!" finished Ichigo.

The Shinigami in their grasp began freaking out, screaming in terror. "No way! It's really them!"

* * *

"Ain't we there yet, Yachiru!? Is it really this way!?" demanded Kenpachi, a look of anger on his face since he had been running for a while without meeting anyone or anything, especially his intended target, the strongest Ryoka.

"I'm sure, I'm sure. I'm positive it's this way... I think."

"'I think'!? Did you just say 'I think'!?"

"Oh, be quiet!" Yachiru pouted childishly, and pointed to the right. "Then, this way!"

Kenpachi snapped his head to look at her, eyebrow twitching. "'THEN'!? Did you just say 'then'!?"

Yachiru huffed, turning her head away. "Why are you always complaining!? You decide then, I don't care anymore!"

"Ugh..." Kenpachi groaned, but complied with his Lietnutant's directions. He skidded over a corner, turning right and continued running, and he grumbled. "This way, right?"

"Yup, yup! This way, this way!"

"You're positive? You're absolutely positive!?"

What both direction-hopeless Shinigami didn't know was that they were getting farther away from a certain orange-haired Shinigami, their supposed target.

* * *

The group of Shinigami just stared at them like they were a bunch of idiots, the Shinigami in the Ryokas' grasps sweatdropping when his panicking wasn't taking the effect it should have been.

"W-What's with this vibe?" muttered Ganju, brows knitting together in confusion.

"M-Maybe they didn't hear us... Wanna try again?" asked Ichigo lowly, slightly unsettled.

"O-Okay... Hey. Open up a path, you punks!"

"If you punks value your friend's life, that is!" Ichigo sweatdropped when all they got was silence, and she nudged the Shinigami in their grasp, silently telling him to do his thing.

"U-Uh... y-yes. Yaaahhh..." The meek-looking Shinigami stuttered, trying and failing to sound scared.

"What are you jerks doing?" deadpanned the group of rough-looking Shinigami.

Ganju and Ichigo just looked confused and clueless. "U-Um... Taking a hostage?"

"And he looks like our friend?" asked the group again, deadpanning.

Ichigo bit her lip, taking a quick glance at their 'hostage' and whispering. "You're not?"

The meek Shinigami just smiled nervously. "I-I'm from the 4th Squad, those guys are from the 11th Squad." he explained as if it answered everything.

Ichigo frowned. "So, what's the difference?"

"Ha! I guess these Ryoka are really from the outside! I shouldn't bother explaining it to you but it's much too insulting with you having us lumped together. So listen up!" barked a Shinigami with a sneer. "There are 13 Guard Squads assigned to protect the Seireitei. We of Squad 11 are led by the strongest Captain, as such we are the strongest unit and always the first into battle!"

"YEAH!" chorused the others, smirking arrogantly.

"Now that you mention it, all those guys have weird hairstyles, but yours is normal." muttered Ganju, taking a quick look at their hostage.

"T-Thanyou." replied the normal-looking-so-far Shinigami with a nervous smile.

"So, you're from where?" asked Ichigo, peering at him.

"I-I'm from the Squad 4."

The group of rough Shinigami sneered. "Squad 4 is the rear echelon that specializes in relief and aid. A bunch of wimps that can't even wield their swords correctly! They're the weakling pansies of the 13 squads." They scoffed. "To be honest, I don't know why they even exist."

"That's right! The rest of us can't stand the little weasels!"

"So whatever you do, don't go and confuse them with us!"

"Therefore, we, the Squad 11..."

"HATE THE SQUAD 4!"

"So if you want to kill him, go ahead! You'll be doing us a favor!"

The Squad 4 Shinigami yelped and cringed at the hate directed at him, Ichigo and Ganju looking at the group of Shinigami in disbelief and shock.

"Isn't it too cruel to say you don't care what happens to him just because you don't like him!?" demanded Ganju, incredulous.

"Wow... That's a rational argument." mumbled Ichigo, looking at Ganju and holding out Zangetsu towards the group of Shinigami that seemingly had enough and were now charging at them with swords drawn. Ichigo blew up her bangs from her eyes, slightly exasperated. "Guess we're going to muscle our way out of here."

Just then there was a bright flash of light and the wall to the left came crashing down, an explosion catching all the Shinigami coming at them in a heap of smoke and crumbling rocks.

Nameless Shinigami, Ichigo and Ganju got wide eyes, looking shocked. None the less, they take their chance and prepare to run off, with the meek Shinigami tagging along as Ganju slung him over his shoulder. They break through the wall of Shinigami and run off, oblivious to the fact that they had just missed the arrival of Chad.

* * *

Currently in a room of the 4th Squad; Kurotsuchi Mayuri, captain of the 12th Squad and infamous for his cruel manners to handle things, laughed a bit as he stood in Ikkaku's recovery room. "So, you're not going to say anything no matter what, eh? Madarame Ikkaku..." The injured man just glared at him from the corner of his eye, head turned away from the Captain as he pressed on. "Why don't you say something?"

"Squad 12 Captain, I'm sorry but I must protest! Interrogation of patients is strictly prohibited in the hospital wing—KYA!" the Fourth Squad nurse flinched in fear when the Captain sent a ball of hair at her, missing purposely as it hit and made a hole on the door frame she was standing by.

"Mind your own business!" he snapped at her with a chilly glare.

"Mayuri-sama..." began Kurotsuchi Nemu, Lietnutant of the 12th Squad and daughter of Mayuri, but she was interrupted as well.

"You be quiet too, Nemu. Just be quiet, okay? Do you want to be pulled to pieces again?" Mayuri glared at her.

Nemu bowed her head submissively. "No, sir. Please forgive me."

Ikkaku looked away from them, still refusing to give a satisfying answer. "It's not that I don't want to say, I really don't know. I don't know the Ryoka's objective, destination or anything, for that matter." This particular captain was known for experimenting on anyone that remotely interested him, and Ikkaku could see that the man was slightly interested since the Ryoka were still alive after all this time; not to mention one of them beat him, a 3rd seat. It certainly grabs attention that someone like him was beaten down but alive when they found him.

"Then, what? So you're telling me that although you've met and fought these Ryoka, you were just defeated in battle and retreated like a dog without any information? Is that it?"

"Exactly." answered Ikkaku blankly. "Furthermore... I have not seen the enemy's face, nor heard his voice. So, I have not a shred of information to give you." Technically, it was part true since he hadn't seen or heard any** 'he'**. Ikkaku may have more brawns than brains, but there were times where his brain had to rebut to get him out of some pinches, and he sure as hell isn't gonna mention that his opponent had been a girl; it will just narrow down the search since Ichigo was the only girl he had seen with a giant cleaver sword. Not to mention, the last thing he would want to befall on his enemy was the fate as a guinea pig to someone like Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

Mayuri was twitching in rage, glaring at him and lifting a hand. "Fine. Then you shall receive your punishment appropriate to your failure."

Someone grabbed the pale-white wrist in a firm grip before it could connect, the culprit revealing to be Zaraki Kenpachi, who was glaring at the science captain. "I'm surprised." stated Kenpachi. "Since when did you get so powerful that you can punish those of other Squads, Kurotsuchi?" The grip around the pale-wrist of the scientist tightened in a slight warning.

"Zaraki...!" growled Mayuri, wringing his wrist out of the tight grip and rubbing it, forcing himself to calm down. "Humph. Well, if the captain is here there is no need for me to continue this interrogation. I'll withdraw for now." He walked away, commanding. "Let's go, Nemu! Stop stalling, you dullard!"

"Yes, sir." said Nemu, following her captain and father after nodding at Kenpachi in a sign of respect due to him being a superior.

"Captain..." muttered Ikkaku, looking at the tall man.

"Well, you've certainly gotten yourself beat up."

"Are you here to just visit?" questioned Ikkaku.

"Nope, we got lost on our way!" a new voice piped up as Yachiru pulled herself over Kenpachi's shoulder.

Ikkaku stared at the pinkette warily. "I see the Lieutenant is here too."

"It's by coincidence that we wound up here, but we were worried about you." said Yachiru, and she giggled, waving at him. "Are you okay, Baldy?"

"I told you not to call me that" hissed Ikkaku with an anger mark.

Yachiru smiled cutely. "Then, how about Shiny Baldy?"

"You little brat...!"

"Shiny, shiny baldy!" teased Yachiru, giggling.

Kenpachi broke up the feud and looked at Ikkaku. "So, is it true you were defeated in battle?"

Sobering immediately, Ikkaku replied. "My deepest apologies. I've come back despite the shame of my defeat."

"Is he strong?"

"Yes, indeed. The enemy is a girl though, but still strong. She appears to be a Shinigami. She wears a Shihakusho, shoulder-length orange hair, with a sword larger than her body that doesn't have a guard or grip. She is headed towards the Senzaikyu Shishinro." Ikkaku explained thoroughly.

"She shouldn't be hard to find."

"I gave her your description and told her to be on the look out for you. If she heeded my words, you will surely enjoy an excellent battle, regardless of where you meet her. She is strong, and I fear that her strength is growing stronger. By the time you encounter her, it seems likely she will be stronger still."

"I see..." Kenpachi grinned. "And her names is...?"

* * *

"I am Yamada Hanataro." said the meek Shinigami AKA Hanataro, sitting on his knees. The group of three were sitting in a warehouse away from the Shinigamis hunting for them.

"That's a hard name to remember." deadpanned Ganju and Ichigo.

"Really? Everyone tells me it's an easy name to remember!"

"Oh, yeah?" Ichigo scratched her cheek idly. "I get 'Yamada Taro' or 'Yamada Hanako', but 'Hanataro' is so hard to remember, _hard_." She empathized the last word to make her point.

"B-But..."

"Besides, aren't you our enemy?" demanded Ganju, jabbing a finger in his direction. "Why are you so laid back and introducing yourself?"

"That's a good question, I don't really know why…" Hanataro mumbled to himself.

Turning to the taller man, Ichigo frowned as she asked Ganju. "Why did we bring this guy with us?"

"Couldn't help it. He was nearby, so I accidentally carried him with us!" defended Ganju.

"Accidentally?! What do you mean by 'accidentally'? Do you pick up whatever is lying on the ground?"

"Shut up! You didn't notice him yourself until just now!"

"P-Please, you two! Stop fighting over me!" cried out Hamataro.

Ganju and Ichigo whirled towards him with anger marks. "WE ARE NOT FIGHTING OVER YOU!"

Hanataro cowered, covering his ears as he told them. "B-But if you raise your voices, someone might find us!"

The two slapped a hand over their mouths as if realizing it.

"...Anyone out there?"

"All clear for now."

Ichigo sighed with her hands on her now small hips. "But, we're still screwed." She ran a hand over her orange hair. "If it's true what that bald guy said, and even if Rukia is in that white tower, the problem is to which road to get there." Hanataro gasped as his eyes widened.

"Oh, right. I have a map." Ganju snapped his fingers, pulling out a map. "We wouldn't want to run into any Captains, huh? If we only knew the enemy's position..."

Ichigo shuffled closer to take a look at the map, and she frowned. "By the way, there are no roads in this map. Huh? What the—?" She stared at the cartoon drawing of Ganju himself.

"Peace!" said Ganju, grinning.

"Did you draw this yourself!?" demanded Ichigo, incredulous and irritated.

"What? It's better than having nothing!" Ganju retorted, butting heads with the orangette.

"U-Um..." Hanataro spoke up timidly, but was cut off.

Both Ryoka turned to the medic Shinigami, with Ichigo flatly stating. "Shut up. We are in the middle of strategizing. Don't butt in."

"Actually, you can go home already." added Ganju. "You're not going to be of much use anyway."

"I swear..." Ichigo sighed, blowing her orange bangs from her eyes and turning back to their discussion, until Hanataro asked something that made her freeze.

"Rukia... Are you talking about Kuchiki Rukia?" asked Hanataro quietly, and Ichigo's abrupt reaction answered him without words. "Just as I thought, it's her, isn't it? The younger sister of the Captain of the 6th Squad, currently held in maximum security... Then, that 'white tower' you referred to is called the Senzaikyu." He lowered his head so he wouldn't meet their eyes, and he finished. "I know the hidden way into that tower."

Ganju and Ichigo's eyes widened.

* * *

Kenpachi was running on top of a building at the speed of life.

"Ken-chan, you seem pretty happy." Yachiru giggled, peering at the eye-patch wearing man.

"Eh? Are you talking about me?"

"Un! I haven't seen you this happy in a while!"

Kenpachi chuckled. "Is that so? You might be right... She survived against Ichimaru. She defeated Ikkaku. And, Ikkaku said she was strong. Ikkaku said she would become stronger still!" He had a demonically sadistic smile. "Where? Where are you? I, Zaraki Kenpachi, am waiting for you!"

He jumped off the end of the rooftop, cackling.

"Come out! Kurosaki Ichigo!"

* * *

**I am sorry if there is anything OOC, mistakes and so.**

**I think that Kenpachi personally doesn't care who his target is as long as they are strong, hence he isn't stuck in the sexist world of men.**


	6. Lost Star, Stray Dog, Illuminating Moon

**Thankyou apollyon1991, diabolicaladdiction, Seville, ultima-owner, ****Virtue-Taichou, AshakiranTheTenthBeast, NinjaGogeta, ****RYNO IV, ****thunder18, ****Inuyashaket27, ****Ash (Anonymous AKA Guest - sorry don't know how it's called), ****Guest (Anonymous), ****silentsecrets22, ****eragonfan117, ****Kleny GingerHead (Anonymous) for reviewing. I know that it is a bit late since some reviews are chapters old and so, but I thankyou all the same for reviewing. I also appreciate the tips or mistakes that you point out, along with the compliments. I also thank those that favorited or followed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

_**~~Chapter 6. Lost Star, Stray Dog, Illuminating Moon~~**_

* * *

"Huh, I have to admit, I would have never thought of using the sewer system."

Ganju glanced at their surroundings, from the murky-looking waters to the surprisingly clean walls. After hearing Hanataro say he knew the secret route to the Senzaikyu, Ichigo and Ganju had spent some time debating whether to believe him or not; they were enemies after all. However, their urgency to save Rukia won out the cautiousness of the situation since this was the only route they could take; of course there were others, but this was the faster way so far. The line in which they were traveling was with Hanataro in the lead, Ichigo in the middle and Ganju in the back.

"Yes, since the sewer system runs underground throughout the Seireitei, we can use it to go to any place we want safely without running into any obstacles." Hanataro answered to him.

"Don't the others know of this entrance?" asked Ganju curiously. "It was under an ordinary tile..." First time they saw it they couldn't help but think how cliché and obvious it was, surely it couldn't be that much of a secret, right?

"Yes, everyone knows about it." replied Hanataro, making the two tense until he continued. "But, I doubt they will catch up with us down here."

The whole time they had spent traveling through the sewers, and ever since they had agreed to follow Hanataro, Ichigo had remained silent, but she spoke up. "How do you know that?"

Hanataro looked over his shoulder and responded. "The only ones that fully comprehend this complex system are members from the 4th Squad, those of us who specialize in relief and aid."

While Ichigo remained silent to that reply, Ganju nodded in understanding, summarizing. "I get it. So this system is also used as a pathway for relief and aid. That's why only the relief and aid company needed to master this system."

"Hahahaha... Not exactly..." Hanataro laughed sheepishly, stopping in his tracks which propelled the other two to stop, with the relief and aid Shinigami rubbing the back of his head. "It's just that it's the 4th Squad's duty to clean up the sewer system. We're weak, so... We wind up with a lot of menial chores..."

Ganju sweatdropped. "Gee, I kind of feel sorry for this Squad 4..." muttered Ganju to a frowning Ichigo.

"No, it's not really all that bad." said Hanataro cheerily as he started to walk again. Ichigo didn't follow after him, her eyes narrowing.

"Hanataro."

"Huh?" The meek Shinigami stopped mid-stride.

Ichigo stared at him intently, slight suspicion present in her eyes and tone. "Why are you doing all this for us? Why should our mission be any of your concern, aside from being a threat and violation to your laws? We're your enemies; and just because we want to go to the White Tower..." She pursed her lips. "For all we know, you could be leading us into a trap."

"Oi, Ichigo!" Ganju looked slightly alarmed at the sudden accusation.

She ignored her friend and pressed for more answers. "Why are you guiding us without question?"

During the whole time Ichigo had asked the questions, Hanataro remained silent with his head bowed, bangs shielding his eyes. Finally, he answered. "I know a lot more than you think... From listening to Rukia-san talk about someone named Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ganju was leaning over Ichigo's shoulder to listen, and he could hear the surprised gasp that escaped the Kurosaki; he couldn't deny he was surprised as well. Then, Hanataro turned around with pleading and desperate eyes.

"Please, save her! You've got to! Please rescue Rukia-san!"

* * *

_**(Seireitei - 1st Squad Barracks)**_

Renji disappeared through a door, having heard enough of Iemura's reports on the Squad 11 and the damage done to their members. He left a concerned Hinamori Momo, Lieutenant of the 5th Division and a gathering of other Lieutenants to discuss the problem with the Ryoka. Renji scowled, eyes darkening with something unrecognizable.

* * *

"Before Rukia-san was captured and placed in the Senzaikyu Shishinro, she was held in the 6th Division's barracks." Hanataro told them, the three having stopped to rest and listen to his reason. "I was assigned to cleaning duty for that area. To be honest, I was scared of her at first. After all, she is nobility. But..."

"But?" Ganju raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to go on; Ichigo sat crossed legged, listening intently.

Hanataro smiled softly. "Rukia-san scolded me on my first day..."

_"Ano, Rukia-sama, I'll be starting today's cleaning chores now!"_

_"...I'd rather you not call me that." murmured the white-kimono wearing captive._

_"Umm... But—"_

_"Just address me normally."_

_"Uh? Ah... Umm... A-Alright, then... Rukia-...san?"_

_Rukia smiled gently. "Arigatou."_

_"H-Hai!"_

"Her voice was so gentle, she was much kinder than I expected her to be. It was such a relief to me. From that day on my cleaning chores at the barracks stopped being something I dreaded and became something I actually looked forward to! And little by little Rukia-san started to tell me all kind of things."

Sometime into the 'story', Ichigo's gaze casted down, softening slightly. It was a bit of a relief to find that Rukia still smiled despite all the events, but it didn't change the fact that she was held prisoner, and Ichigo would storm in to drag her back, kicking and screaming if needed be.

_"Can I ask you a question, Rukia-san? I don't know much about the Human World, what's it really like over there? What kind of food do they eat? What kind of drinks do they have?"_

_Hanataro sat on the floor beside the chair that Rukia sat on most of the time, the petite girl taking a sip of her tea._

_"Oh, I'm sorry!" Hanataro smiled nervously. "I mean, it's nothing. I'm sorry..."_

_"They have a beverage called a 'juice' that comes in paper packages."_

_Hanataro perked up in excitement. "What kind of drink is that?"_

_She smiled wryly. "It's a difficult beverage..." Her voice gained a tint of mirth for the first time since her imprisonment. "There is a trick to drinking it, even I had difficulties with it."_

_"Is that so? There is a technique that even you had difficulties with..."_

_"Hanataro, you may not be able to drink it after hearing the trick."_

_"Really!?"_

_"There was a guy... He taught me how to drink it."_

_. . . . . . _

_"Rukia-san, was there anything unusual in the Human World?"_

_Rukia stared up at the window high up in the wall, "Did you know that a Kaizo Konpaku can be inserted into inanimate objects as well?"_

_Hanataro's eyes widened. "Huh? You mean those illegal things?"_

_"There was this guy who placed one into a stuffed doll found on the streets."_

_"Stuffed dolls? That's the thing made with cotton and such, right? To put it into something like that... There sure are some reckless folks out there..."_

_Rukia tore her gaze from the window, looking down with a small smile. "You're right. There are some reckless ones out there..."_

"Of all the tales Rukia-san told me about the Human World... The majority about them were about this one person..." Hanataro looked over Ichigo with a curious look. "That person had the same name as you, Ichigo-san... But—"

"But nothing." Ichigo interjected stiffly. "Please continue." Inwardly, Ichigo was nervous about that. Rukia seemed to still think that sh—he still was a boy; which he was, but with the body of a girl. Sure Ichigo wanted to save Rukia, but sh—he was somewhat dreading the time where they would face off.

Hanataro backed down, still retaining that curious gleam that was locked away momentarily, and he nodded. "Right. Shortly thereafter, an official execution was sent to Rukia-san."

_"Don't make me repeat myself. For a first-degree offense, Kuchiki Rukia shall be held in maximum security. In 25 days, she shall be sent to the Central Execution Grounds to be executed." Kuchiki Byakuya informed, Rukia remained silent as her gaze casted down._

_. . . . . . _

_"Rukia-san, is the person you gave your Shinigami Powers to... Is that the same person you often speak of?"_

_"His name is Kurosaki Ichigo." She raised her head. "I only spent two months with him, but strangely enough, i felt like I could trust him from the bottom of my heart. And yet... And yet..." Her hands fisted around the white robe she wore, slight misery and self-loathing entering her tone, voice quivering as if she was going to cry. "Because of me, his destiny became twisted and he was terribly hurt. There is nothing I can do to atone for this..."_

"She looked very sad as she said that..." said Hanataro softly.

"How'd you say?" Ganju looked to the side, slightly uncomfortable at hearing that. It completely threw off his view on Shinigamis. Ichigo may have the powers of a Shinigami, but she wasn't an official member of Soul Society and she was a Ryoka to boot; this Rukia person was a Shinigami for years, yet she sounded very different from the others... "She's a strange Shinigami, that one." was all Ganju could say.

"Yeah, she's a strange one..." murmured Ichigo. The orangette abruptly stood up, stating. "That's why we're here to rescue her."

"O-Oi! Wait a minute!" called Ganju, watching in bewilderment as Ichigo began walking in a faster-than-normal pace. He and Hanataro stood for a minute, before running to catch up with the orangette whose steps were steadily increasing into a run. "Hey, Ichigo!"

But her mind wasn't trained on the present, and Ichigo could only think about how Rukia said she trusted her—him from the bottom of her heart according to Hanataro, with images of the time sh—he spent with the midget flashing through her—his mind's eye. The first time she—he met her, the hollow attacks, the time where that jackass had cut him down, and the face of Rukia looking as if she was about to cry before she and those two assholes left through the Senkaimon.

All that happened those two months, the time spent with Rukia laughing and arguing, fighting and saving each other, was engraved in her mind as she quickened her pace. _'That baka! Everything that happened, down right to this insufferable genderbent, is all my fault! Tch!'_ thought Ichigo, eyes flaming with a strong determination, and she vowed aloud. "I swear, I won't let you die, Rukia!"

* * *

Hanataro lifted a loose hidden tile above them, his head peeking out to see if it was clear. "Okay, the coast is clear. You two can come up now." He called down to the two Ryokas as he lifted the tile altogether and climbed out, making way for the other two to climb out too. "This exit is the closest to the tower."

Ichigo and Ganju crawled out, the latter gulping in the precious air greedily. "'Bout time too! It seems like a long time since I breathed fresh air!" exclaimed Ganju.

"There, that's the Senzaikyu." said Hanataro, pointing to the big junctions of white towers and buildings crowded together, amongst one which outmatched the other buildings around it. There was a bridge connecting to some other cliff too. It looked very close, but judging the height and distance it wasn't as it looked to be. Cloudy mist was fogging the air, blurring the image of the Senzaikyu a bit.

Ganju whistled, impressed. "We're definitely closer to it, but look at that! We still got a long way to go."

"The mist is clearing." said Ichigo, the mist starting to dissipate and giving the group a more clear site of what was around. Ichigo began walking towards the grand number of stairs, calling. "Let's hurry." Then, after some steps, Ichigo stopped and narrowed her eyes, squinting through the remaining mist that while lessened, still hid the surroundings a bit.

"Is something the matter, Ichi—" Ganju was cut off as Ichigo raised a hand, shushing him.

"There's someone by the stairs." uttered Ichigo, tensing. Was it enemy or ally?

Finally, the mist cleared enough to show them who was standing on the stairs, and Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and slight anger.

Behold, the prick that took Rukia back to Soul Society standing there, pushing off his black visor as he glared at them. "Ryoka..." His eyes flickered through the group of three, gaining a displeased tint. "He isn't here..."

Ichigo growled, hand twitching towards Zangetsu. "And here I wished to forget your face... However, this is a great opportunity, since there's still a whole mountain of payback I owe you. Abarai Renji!" Her voice was cold and fiery at the same time, a feat which surprised Ganju and Hanataro; not that Ichigo paid them any mind since she was busy burning holes into the man with her brown eyes.

"Huh? That's a surprise, you know my name..." Abarai Renji, Lieutenant of Squad 6 and one of the Shinigami that took Rukia, knitted his eyebrows in confusion and wariness. "Do I know you, Ryoka?"

"Damn right you should." said Ichigo bitterly, anger beginning to boil up.

"Well, tough luck. Whoever you are, I am under the law of Soul Society to terminate any Ryoka." said Renji, descending down the stairs. Technically, he wasn't there on orders, but payback on that damned human, Kurosaki Ichigo. But since the brat wasn't there, he may as well kill these Ryoka before resuming his wait for the bastard that robbed Rukia's power.

"W-Who is this guy?" questioned Ganju, slightly shaken. From his place he could sense the Reiatsu of the guy, and it wasn't something to scoff at. It was more powerful than that pretty boy he had blasted in the face and the baldy Ichigo fought. "His Reiatsu is on a completely different level than those guys of earlier!"

"T-That... that person is..." stammered Hanataro, trembling and taking a step back, frightened. "Abarai Renji! The Lieutenant of Squad 6!"

"Lieutenant!?" Ganju's jaw unhinged in shock and slight horror.

"I'm surprised." remarked Renji, still walking almost casually. "To think such a weak group of Ryoka are still alive after all this time..."

Ichigo remained silent, but with a stony gaze, she took a step and began walking too, much to Ganju's alarm.

"I don't know how other Shinigamis still haven't killed you, and I give hurrays for making it here, I admit that much." muttered Renji almost darkly. He was in bad mood. That Kurosaki bastard hadn't appeared like he had hoped and instead he was stuck with unknown Ryokas, albeit there was something familiar with the weak-looking girl. Whatever. Renji wasn't above fighting girls, the enemy was the enemy and mercy was unneeded in the battlefield.

"However, this is as far as you go, Ryoka!" Renji unsheathed his sword, eyes as cold as ice and attitude as hot as a raging fire. "As I said, orders are orders and I must kill you. Maybe if you hadn't crossed me you would have received a more merciful dead; but right now I am in a bad mood, and I won't give mercy to my enemies, even if they are a girl."

"Bad mood?" hissed Ichigo, eyes darkening into deadly sharps of deadly brown, hand coming up to grasp the hilt of Zangetsu. "I see... So taking Rukia and injuring Ishida that night wasn't enough to satisfy you!?"

Renji's eyes widened in shock. "How do you—!?" Others may know that he and Kuchiki-taicho had gone to the Human World to capture Rukia, but it was strictly spoken to only 5th seats and above; but, even they didn't know there was a Quincy! No mere Ryoka can know about that information! And there was no way it could have leaked out due to most of them having little to no interest of speaking about the 'trip' to the Human World. So, could it be that...? "Ryoka! Do you know who—Is Kurosaki Ichigo alive? Where is he!?"

"Yeah, he is alive." Ichigo cracked a cold smile. "I know where he is, what of it?

Ganju gaped at Ichigo, what did she mean by 'he'? Wasn't that redhead talking about her!? "Oi! What are yo—"

"Shut up, Ganju!" Ichigo snapped without taking her eyes off her soon-to-be opponent.

"Is he in Seireitei?"

"Yeah. Kicking 'bout and going to rescue Rukia. And we are here to help good ol' Ichigo, well, except the Shinigami 'cause we need a hostage." said Ichigo, making Hanataro gape at her, while Ganju nodded in reluctant understanding. If they knew that Hanataro willingly guided them through the sewers it would be over for him; Ganju knew that Shinigami were prude beings, evidence being the pretty boy's (Yumikaku or something, Ganju forgot) amusement about Hollows used to fight other criminals in that deep hole.

"I see..." Renji narrowed his eyes. "My feud is with him, if you tell me where he is I will go slightly easier on you, Ryoka."

Her grip on Zangetsu tightening as the bandages began loosing. "Fat chance! Octopus head!"

Renji scowled, and suddenly he was running in a fast speed, sword aiming a swing as he snarled. "Then I will have to force you to tell me!" Finally, a more or less valid lead! That Iemura wasn't very informative on which Ryoka was comming, but here the girl knew!

Ichigo glared, charging with Zangetsu drawn, slight reiatsu gathering. "Try it if you can!"

Zangetsu and Zabimaru clashed and grinded against each other, sparks flying off from where both blades meet.

* * *

Kenpachi came to a stop on the rooftop, looking in some random direction with a wide grin. "It's starting. And the opponent is Abarai, huh? The Ryoka already defeated a 3rd seat... Next, she better defeat a Lieutenant. Otherwise, she won't be much fun as my opponent."

"Ken-chan, how is it that you can't sense other people's reiatsu, but you can tell they are fighting from far away?" asked Yachiru innocently, tilting her head with a childish smile.

Kenpachi chuckled. "That's because I'm strong."

"Hmm... That's weird." Yachiru giggled.

* * *

Some time into the battle, two blades locked once again in a shower of sparks, both opponents pushing each other and slightly annoyed. Between Renji's stronger attacks and short-mid-long-range distance strikes, and Ichigo's faster strikes and unpredictably, the stalemate between the two wasn't moving into either side.

Renji particularly found the girl annoying. He had thought that he could easily beat the girl, after all she did look weak; but after fighting against her, Renji swore to never underestimate girls again and to apologize to Momo _(albeit Renji had to admit Momo wasn't that physically strong)_. Her strength may not be very impressive, but she was hella fast. The strikes of the girl were absurd; one second she is in mid-swing, and the next she is instantly changing the course of the attack, thus giving him a gash in the shoulder from the surprise (or not) attack. Not only that, but the speed in which she accelerated and decelerated was so fast it was stupid; only masters of Shunpo could do that so efficiently without side effects like stopping with damaging momentum; albeit the girl wasn't a master per say, but certainly procifent in the accelerations and decelerations. Renji wondered if the girl even knew Shunpo, but considering she hadn't used that since their battle he was slightly thankful (not that he would admit it with his pride). Let's not mention how surprised Abarai Renji was to find that the girl could even swing that cleaver meat blade with so much speed.

Between her speed, fast acceleration and deceleration, unpredictably, agility and glutton reiatsu, Renji wasn't sure as to which to label the worst trait about her. The only thing that Renji was glad about, were the holes in the girl's fighting style. Although, the 'instinct' that he had when he had been from **that division** was practically singing at the worthy opponent and the thrilling fight.

However, the redhead should feel accomplished since Ichigo found him just as annoying; well, she was fighting a Lieutenant there, wasn't she? She knew she was getting by with her speed, but if she had done the mistake and idiocy of getting hit by his strikes or punches, she would be at a disadvantage; that much she knew when she used Zangetsu to block his slash. It was absurd, and now she knew how considerably weakened she was in the strength department. In addition to his strength, there is the factor of his sword that frustrated her; the damn thing could extend at an unknown distance. And to make it worse, after releasing Zabimaru, Renji could use his Zanpakuto like a whip, which was both flexible and it gave no way to predict the variation of his attacks most of the time; the not-so-serious-but-bleeding gash in her left arm could prove that. If she didn't know better, she would have thought of Renji's Zanpakuto like a tail, albeit a very agile tail that could stretch a lot.

Ichigo was frustrated, by Renji's strength that she was sure she could take (without backing away to reduce damage) if she had been a boy, the tricky movements of his Zabimaru, his taunting remarks and the fact that she still couldn't get by him. The longer she spent fighting the more delayed her search for Rukia was, and she was getting pretty impatient alright; only Getaboshi's constant grinding stopped her from doing something reckless that could end her life right then and there, along with several (Read: Massively large) strokes of luck.

Once again, the two clashed blades, Ichigo reinforcing her own one with reiatsu to withstand the powerful lockdown as sparks flew off.

Suddenly, Renji asked. "Ryoka, what's your name?"

"You don't need to know."

"Hmph! Fine, how do you and Ichigo plan to save Rukia?" demanded Renji, pushing her away and bearing down at her with a swing, which she dodged by rolling away, quickly resuming her 'defensive' (in her mind) stance. After that, Renji didn't immediately strike and just stood there, ready to block or attack given the chance, but he continued speaking. "Even if you defeat me here, there are still 11 Lieutenants left, and above them there are 13 Captains. Unless you defeat them all, there's no way to save Rukia. And do you think you can do that, huh!?" He whipped out Zabimaru and attacked through the left side, swept down her legs and striked back at her right arm, all done in a furious succession; one of the blade's 'spikes' nicking Ichigo in the arm as she dodged the last strike, making her scowl.

Ichigo sped forward and their swords met again in a clang, Zangetsu digging into one of the segment blades as sparks flew off and reiatsu (both) swirled around them.

"Yeah, I do! Who cares how many captains or lieutenants there are!? It doesn't matter! I'll defeat them all if they get in my way!"

Renji glared at her. "Why are you worked up over this? Where does that confidence come from? Do you think that just because your Zanpakuto is abnormally huge that you are strong? Hah! Yeah, right! You shouldn't be too cocky!" With more strength than his previous strikes, he pushed her away and sent her flying back as he extended Zabimaru in her direction. Although Ichigo managed to bring Zangetsu up to block the blade, it knocked her all the way back into a wall and right through it, barely missing hitting Hanataro and Ganju.

Renji retracted Zabimaru. "I don't know how, but you seem to know about my first meeting with Ichigo." He paused, as if thinking about something, and resumed talking while walking towards the place where the girl had crashed into. "Let me tell you something, you amateur. When the ranked Lieutenants and above are sent outside, our powers are severely limited so that we don't adversely affect the human world. So if by any chance you know, let me tell you that my strength is 5 times greater than that night. So no matter how strong you are, there's no way you can defeat me!"

"Heh..."

Ganju and Hanataro jolted a little in surprise at the faint, feminine scoff. Renji frowned.

"So that means the attack there... Was that the best you've got?" Ichigo pulled herself up, staggering towards Zangetsu and pulling him off where he was embedded, feeling immensely better now that the familiar bandage-covered handle was in her hands, and she straightened up, emerging from the hole she created when she had been smashed through it; she promptly ignored the wound on her forehead. "Didn't affect me at all!" She smirked at a scowling Renji. "Thankyou! If 11 of these are what I'm dealing with, I think I can handle it!"

"Idiot!" spat Renji, taking a step forward with a grin that Ichigo found familiar.

* * *

A flock of birds flew past the window of the Senzaikyu Shishinrō, where Rukia sat. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open from their meditative-like state as though sensing something, her stomach churning into strange knots.

* * *

"A-Are you okay?" asked Hanataro, worried.

"Yeah, I'm OK."

"I-It's amazing... I can't believe it..." Hanataro watched Ichigo in disbelief. Head wounds were nothing to scoff at, and considering that it was Abarai-fukutaicho that sent her crashing through the wall, and with that blood dripping down the side of her face and neck and some on the floor... It was surprising— "That she can remain standing in her condition."

Ichigo blinked wearily, eyelids dropping and snapping open as she tried to focus her blurring vision, her legs were shaky and her breathing was coming in short gasps; Ichigo hated it and tried to get her wounded senses under control. She had no time to waste, she had to beat the guy quickly and passing out wasn't an option. But it was easier said than done.

Renji smirked, running towards with sword poised. "You talk big, but it seems standing is all you can do. And it's over now!" He jumped in the air, Zabimaru uncoiled and weaving through the air as it smashed down, Ichigo barely dodging as her vision swam slightly.

Something about seeing her, especially her eyes, made something in Renji snap and he sent Zabimaru flying to her again.

"If it wasn't for that damn human..." Renji seethed, rage beginning to flood through him as he striked again and again with Zabimaru. "If only that bastard didn't meet Rukia, she wouldn't be in this situation! She wouldn't have to go through this!"

Ganju and Hanataro watched in concern and alarm as Renji almost got Ichigo, but she managed to jump to the rooftop, hence dodging the enraged strike. Renji followed her and they both met once again with a sharp clang, a shockwave of wind following their aftershock as blade grinded against blade, one combatant gritting his teeth in fury while the other gritted her teeth while trying to hold off the furious attack.

Within minutes, the building they had been standing was reduced to rubble and pieces, and Ichigo skidded back as Zabimaru once again slammed against the flat of her blade. Ichigo took in sharp, harsh breaths as she tried to get some energy back, loosing blood wasn't very pretty and the effects were affecting her normal reactions and fighting style, but at least she wasn't the only one remotely exhausted since Renji was panting too; and she was slightly pleased, because if she could tire him it meant she could beat him.

However, Renji wasn't as happy as his opponent and he scowled, glaring at her. "Stubborn girl." He grunted, frustrated. No matter how many times he came at her, striked her or anything, she just wouldn't die and it was getting annoying pretty fast. "You want to save Rukia that badly?"

"Idiot!" Ichigo managed to get out amidst her harsh breathing. "I don't just _want_ to save her. I'm _going_ to save her!"

"Quit messing with me!" snapped Renji, angered at that as he sent Zabimaru flying again. Ichigo saw it coming, but her body wouldn't move as she wanted to and she received a huge jagged gash in her right shoulder, making her scream out as searing pain ran through her limb. Renji continued his attack, still enraged. "Rukia's crime became more serious because that bastard stole her powers! Do you understand? It's all your friend's fault! It's all Ichigo's fault that Rukia will be killed! So don't you and Kurosaki Ichigo come in and say you're saving her when it's all his fault!"

Ichigo brought Zangetsu up in order to block the strike that would have stabbed her heart, and she glared at Renji. "I know that!" She growled. He thought she couldn't understand!? Of course she did! She was Kurosaki Ichigo, the one that had put Rukia in this situation, so she sure as hell was going to take responsibility; and she will cut down anyone that stood in her way as she once told him. "That's why** I**_ will save her_!" She pushed back the extended attack, and as she watched the parts connect together into a single blade, her eyes widened in realization.

_'His limit is three attacks.'_

This was a lesson that Getaboshi had explained to her once. A gun can only be fired six times, a missile only once, so repetitive attacks were bound to have limited numbers like those above too, she just had to find the pattern to them and attack in the right moment. In this case, when Renji extended his Zabimaru his limitation to it are 3 times before his sword returns to normal; Ichigo wanted to slap herself in the face for not noticing sooner, but in her defense their movements had been almost instinct-like and there wasn't a pause to think about it. However, she could be wrong in this guess, so the only thing left would be to test it out.

With that resolve set, Ichigo forced herself to attack and test out the theory.

Once. Twice. Third— There!

Ichigo saw the opening and lunged with a thrust.

Renji, however, merely moves to the side as he stared at her, but his eyes widened when Ichigo twisted the blade so that the sharp edge was facing him, swinging towards him in a fast pace at his still mid-jump body.

"Fool."

A searing pain slammed unto her shoulder, surprising Ichigo as her Zangetsu met nothing but air. For a moment, Ichigo stood in shocked silence as she stared at Renji who was suddenly standing to her right, when clearly just an instant ago he had been to her left; no one should be able to move that fast— Okay, there was that black-haired bastard from before, but Ichigo hadn't expected Renji to...

"I told you, you cannot defeat me." said Renji darkly, and he yanked down on Zabimaru (that had been dug into her shoulder), cutting further into Ichigo's shoulder and sliding the hooked blade down across her chest; blood flew into the air in an arc of red as Ichigo choked at the pain. Effectively, with this attack, both her shoulders were injured.

Ichigo slumped down to her knees, shocked that her attacks had been countered.

"You look surprised that your attacks had been countered." commented Renji, seeing through her shock. "Looking for an opening between thrusts is good. Your timing was perfect. And you did good in hiding a second attack behind your first thrust. Though, there's only one answer to your unspoken question: You are slower than me."

The orange-haired girl stiffened, eyes widening at that matter-of-fact-sounding statement. _'Slow?'_ The words hit her hard, and if the pain hadn't been so great she could barely think straight she would have been lamenting over that fact.

"For all that speed you have, it is nothing against Shunpo." said Renji, staring down at her. "You can't overcome our difference in power, girl; it's as simple as that." He raised Zabimaru above his head as if he were an executioner, ready to deliver the killing blow. "Do you understand? Neither you or Ichigo, no one can save Rukia now." He almost sounded... sad by his own words.

He striked.

A cloud of dust ensued the battlefield, hiding the possibly mangled corpse.

Ganju and Hanataro just watched on with horror.

* * *

In the Senzaikyo Shishinro, Rukia stirred from her sleep, eyes opening in confusion, feeling something strange.

* * *

Hanataro wanted to cry in relief when he glimpsed Ichigo alive, struggling to stand up and bracing against Zangetsu and obviously injured, but alive none the less. Ganju let go of the breath he had been holding, relieved that Ichigo hadn't died as well.

While she was glad she wasn't dead, Ichigo was still in very much pain, the wounds in both her shoulder not exactly something she could easily ignore. Breathing hard, she suddenly saw Getaboshi instead of Renji, with the underground training instead of the rubble of buildings scattered around.

That time, after the day where she had spent honing her skills in desperation back up to her level (albeit her speed was faster), Getaboshi had proceeded to try to kill her to draw out the freakish attack she had used after she got out of the Shattered Shaft _(okay, Ichigo admitted she hated the damn thing)_, and the bastard nearly succeeded several times before she managed to claw out the attack. Their blades, Zangetsu and Benihime, had both been actually resonating _(or crying out? howling? She wasn't sure 'cause she sure as hell didn't understand sword language dammit!)_ with power as attacks clashed. Their ensuing attack caused a huge explosion, and in the end there was a giant X-shaped crater in the ground, with Ichigo on one end and Urahara Kisuke on the other. Getaboshi clearly was pleased, the same couldn't be said for Ichigo though.

_"When you counter, you don't let them cut you. If you protect someone, you don't let them die. When you **attack** someone, you** kill**."_

Let's say that Getaboshi had just gotten a taste of his own medicine, and that his own speech backfired on him when it erased Ichigo's hesitance in attacking him with the intent to kill; and a lot of killing intent she sure had, after all she was pissed at the blonde. A newbie she may have been back then, but hell hath no fury a woman's wrath.

But returning to the present, Ichigo stood up straight, cold brown eyes glaring at Renji from underneath her bangs as her hand tightened around Zangetsu, and she lift the sword over her shoulder.

"I-Ichigo-san..." Hanataro was watching with wide, concerned and slightly frightened eyes from behind the remains of a wall with Ganju.

"She intends to continue fighting?" asked Ganju in disbelief. Ichigo had been attacked several times, injured deeply in both her shoulders, put down by that redhead and she still continued to stand and fight? Even he could see that she was in a lot of pain, and if he was honest, Ganju was surprised by Ichigo.

"But, she seems different." whispered Hanataro; to him, Ichigo seemed more... hardened?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Renji." Ichigo murmured softly in a strange tone, loud enough for Renji to hear her. She glared at him. "I've got resolve." She stated, eyes glowing white as she raised Zangetsu high above her head. "This time, I will cut you." A large burst of reiatsu shot off her in waves, steadily increasing and never stopping as the air turned heavier and thicker, Ichigo still glaring at him with those sudden, unnerving, and glowing white eyes of hers.

_'When you counter, you don't let them cut you. If you protect someone, you don't let them die.'_ thought Ichigo, mentally repeating what Getaboshi had told her, her cold brown eyes staring at the redhead she was about to cut down.

Protect: She wanted to protect Rukia, and she would cut down anyone if needed be.

Renji's eyes widened, looking shocked and almost even scared. However, he regained his composure before anyone could see, and with a roar, he whipped Zabimaru towards Ichigo again in an attempt to cut her down before she released whatever attack she was preparing.

He was too late.

Ichigo released the attack, swinging down Zangetsu sharply, the attack making contact with Renji's extended sword and cutting through it cleanly, continuing to slam into his chest. There was a giant explosion, Renji's hair came out of its ponytail, his sword was destroyed and he sailed through the air, his back hitting against rubble painfully; Ichigo just finished her mental mantra. "When you attack someone, you kill." said Ichigo simply in that chillingly soft voice.

For a moment, everything remained silent as Ichigo breathed harshly, swaying slightly and exhausted and still hurt from the battle; and she eyed Renji warily, wondering if the guy would get right back up and if she was going to have to cut him completely; luckily, that wasn't the case for the redhead just stayed there.

His sudden injury was deep, even worse than Ichigo's own injuries and the shockwave of her reiatsu was literally a shock, his nerves were tingling, his feet couldn't move, his breathing was harsh and he couldn't even raise his hand; all in all, his body felt extremely heavy and everything hurt like a bitch.

Ganju and Hanataro gaped, the latter more so in shock than the other as they tried to absorb the fact that Ichigo had beaten a Lieutenant. A 3rd seat they could understand somewhat, but someone second to only the Captain of a Squad? That was too much for them.

Then, Renji broke the silence as he looked up to the sky and yelled in anguish. His body couldn't move and he knew he couldn't go on fighting; he was done, just as Rukia was going to be if she continued on like that. In a part his mind, he found the cruel and twisted irony in the idea that both he and Rukia were to be terminated by orange-haired people with ridiculously oversized swords, the only thing that would be left would be labeling the girl Ryoka as the actual Ichigo; but that was impossible.

Renji fell to his knees, blood still gushing out as he weakly raised his head to look at the Ryoka who had beaten him; but, instead of the short orange-haired girl he had been fighting, he saw the solemn and sad figure of one Kuchiki Rukia in her execution robes. Renji choked, images of Rukia smiling and laughing, crying and leaving him went through his mind, and he weakly raised a trembling hand to grasp the blurring image of his sentenced childhood friend. He knew everything was his fault, from the time he didn't go after her in the past, to right now where he had tried to stop the Ryoka that could have possibly save Rukia right now had it not been for himself, about how he could have help her instead...

Dazed and almost unconsciously, Renji began speaking unexpectedly, so quiet that Ichigo almost didn't hear him, about how he had met with Rukia and how he had grew up with her in Inuzuru of the Rukongai. How they went to the academy after their friends died and what had happened when the Kuchiki Family decided to adopt her for seemingly no reason, and how he had even encouraged a reluctant Rukia to enter the Kuchiki.

With each word he spoke his words grew stronger, and despite his wounds he slowly got to his feet, staggering towards the orange-haired shorty; and what a midget she was compared to him indeed. Renji was hunched and all, and he just had to tug her front uniform a bit forward to meet his face instead of having to pull her down (well, he was pretty hunched and weak and he couldn't even raise his face the whole time), the redhead sounded threatening even injured and it was his will that kept him from falling before he finished speaking.

"T-That time... I didn't tell Rukia to go to the Kuchiki Clan so she'd end up being a criminal." Renji choked, inwardly cursing his own cowardice. "I thought Rukia would find happiness...! I truly believed that...!"

Ichigo just gazed at him wide-eyed, speechless.

"I wanted to surpass Kuchiki-taichou. From that day, ever since, I've pursued him. Everyday I'd train like mad; but I still haven't been able to beat him, not once. He's too strong!" His voice choked and trembled with repressed cries and anger. "Getting Rukia back with strength...was something I couldn't do!" Renji regretted ever encouraging Rukia to enter the Kuchiki Clan, maybe if he had done so she wouldn't be sentenced to be a criminal on a death row. The Kuchiki were very strict and it was obvious breaking rules wasn't gonna get by with a blind eye.

"Whoever you are... I'm swallowing my shame and asking you!" shouted Renji, looking at the girl in the eye pleadingly. "Please, save Rukia!" He didn't know if she could succeed, but she was strong and something in her just told him she could do it. Maybe he was insane to ask a mere stranger whose name he didn't even know to save his childhood friend, but by now, Renji didn't care; he just wanted his childhood friend to be saved from her sentenced death.

Ichigo stared at him, but she agreed. "I will." She was going to do it even if the guy didn't tell her anyway, but she was too tired to make a response that long.

"Ryoka... Tell me, what's your name?" asked Renji tiredly, attempting to stay unconscious to figure out the nameless girl's name.

"..." Ichigo stared at him blankly, brain too wasted by the pain and tiredness to deny an answer or come up with a fake name. She wanted to go sleep, and maybe she could do that after she answered? She didn't know, but she responded in her pain-induced daze.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."

"..."

"..."

"...Oh." Renji stared at her, his brain sputtering and trying to understand what she said, but he couldn't even grasp it completely before his fingers loosened and he promptly fainted.

Whether it was due to blood loss or shock or disbelief that Renji fainted, Ichigo didn't know, she just followed his lead and fell unconscious, toppling forward in a heap as she entered dreamland.

* * *

"Healing power? Without using any medicine?"

"No, it's different with us. With other Shinigamis, their reiatsu is mostly for combat, but those of us in the Squad 4 have healing power as well. Although, that's about all we can do..."

"I see... And? How is Ichigo?"

Right now they were underground, hiding from other Shinigami and resting. Hanataro pulled the switch of a light on, and he turned back, kneeling next to a breathing hard Ichigo and examining her. Ganju looked away, sure he was concerned but he wasn't going to peep; he had seen how strong she was and he sure as hell wanted to live.

"It's bad..." Hantaro murmured. "She took direct hits from a Zanpakuto of a Lieutenant, so it's to be expected. Normally, she'd have died instantly, but she has an unbelievable will to live." The Shinigami took off his medical kit, looking grim and determined. "I'll heal her without fail. Just give me some time; I'll heal her in one night."

* * *

That same night, Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, captain of Squad 1 and captain commander of all 13 Squads, declared war on the Ryoka and authorized the use of Zanpakutos' release.

Some captains, especially Zaraki Kenpachi, looked pleased.

Aizen Sosuke glanced at Ichimaru Gin, the silver-haired man smiling as ever and staring straight ahead.

The game has begun.

* * *

**Yes, Ichigo 'lasted longer' than intended in the anime, but her style is different. Reason Renji keeps up with her speed is that he has the ability of Shunpo along with the fast 'view' that comes with it since one has to adjust their vision and all; and while Ichigo is fast she is not that fast _yet_. What she is using is natural speed, so while fast she is slower than those that are at least competent enough to use a 'worthy' Shunpo. Also, the fight and points is in the POV of Ichigo and Renji, so if say, Yoruichi were the one evaluating their speed she would flatly say it was slow, as in VERY SUPER (Ect) slow.**

**I was lightly curious... But did Renji even use Shunpo during his fight with CannonIchigo? Renji had the Shunpo (he is a Lieutenant x.x) and I think that he could have done more damage using it. Sure he may not be a master at it like Byakuya, but he has to be proficient at it if he wants to be Lieutenant and the Shunpo is one of the most taught techniques of Shinigami. No matter how strong CannonIchigo may be, but I noted that with Shunpo, Renji could have beaten him; or was Renji already using Shunpo during their fight? I honestly don't know, but if Renji did use it I may have missed it... If he really didn't use Shunpo, I am seriously questioning why. Pride? Or maybe he wanted to test Ichigo, and therefore didn't use Shunpo because he had the suspicion Ichigo didn't even hear of the technique? Well, I don't really know...**

**Also, I will say it again, but I suck at writing battle scenes, even more at those that I make. So, extremely sorry if the invented parts of the battle were sucky.**

**By the way, about the pairing/s in this chap, which one should be paired with which one? I have decided some but I am still unsure about others, especially the one that's got Ichigo. Though, for now a Harem has been playing around in my head for a while, but not a large one, just a small one with some selected people; either male or female... huh... If there's a pairing don't exactly expect it to be fast since I suck at writing romance blooming. Lol. If it is like with Urahara and Yoruichi knowing each other for hundred years I may make it, but instant romance is a no; I just don't like those.**

**Please review.  
Inform me if anything is wrong, I appreciated those that have pointed out the wrongs of the fic; trying to fix that currently.**


	7. White and Black

**Thankyou Inuyashaket27, Guest (Anonymous), Phantom Claire, Kleny GingerHead (Anonymous), TheBlackSeaReaper,** **rita . covarrubias . 9 _(Sorry, all the spaces are missing cause the name doesn't come out right)_ for reviewing! As I said to warn the readers, some pairings may not pop up; just a warning.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

_**~~Chapter 7. White and Black~~**_

* * *

_***Slam!* *Thump!***_

"Hah! That's what you get for getting up!" Ganju grinned smugly, cracking his knuckles as he looked down at the person he had just knocked out. "If I can knock her out like that, how can she be alright? So sleep until you're healed, idiot!"

"Ganju-san!" Hanataro cried out, running over and looking shocked. "Oh no... She's got another wound... Ganju-san, did you have to be so rough?" He dragged her back to the makeshift futon consisting of her black outer upper part of her Shihakusho, adjusting her position so that she could rest better.

"Shut up! You wanted to stop her and I did, didn't I? So don't complain how I did it." Ganju huffed. The stupid girl had the guts to actually get up and away after stitching her up, and she was not quiet healed yet according to Hanataro; and his punch actually knocked her out so that proved it. If she couldn't stand his punch when she had stood against a Lieutenant's attacks, then she was really weak now. She really was an idiot if she thought she could defeat let alone save her Rukia friend in that condition, she couldn't even walk straight for god's sake!

_'Even so, it's... strange.'_ thought Hanataro, glancing at Ichigo's shoulder, right where her wound was._ 'I didn't think that the slash across her left shoulder and chest would be this shallow... I thought it would definitely be a fatal wound...'_ He blinked as a flash of white caught his eye forcing him to turn to the side, and immediately his body was filled with dread, fear and the need to run. Because lying harmlessly on the ground was a pure white mask.

It was similar to that of a skull with 3 red markings above the right eye socket, a large chip with cracks had been taken out of the top; and Hanataro was sure that if he put it up against Ichigo's wounds that they would match perfectly.

_'Was it because of the mask that had been in her clothes? To be able to stop Abarai-fukutaicho's slash... I wonder what it is?'_ thought Hanataro, slightly worried and afraid as he stared at the ominous-looking mask. _'And this mask looks too much like a Hollow; doesn't it, Ichigo-san?'_ If Ichigo-san had the mask under her shihakusho, she had to know about the mask resembling a hollow; maybe she wore it because of some joke? Or an armour? Hanataro didn't know, but he couldn't help but feel as if the mask was... too Hollow-like for his tastes.

And being a Shinigami, a soul who often fought _(or in his case, healed combatants)_, Hanataro immediately recognized the mask as one belonging to those... those... those _soul_ _devouring_ **monsters**.

Hanataro barely refrained from shivering.

Yep. Too Hollow-like for his tastes.

* * *

Night was obvious and torches were lit outside the entrance to the Senzaikyu Shishinro, with two Shinigamis standing guard by the door.

"Excuse me..."

The two guards blinked, hearing the recent captive call out to them from the other side of the door.

"Can you tell me what's going on outside? Just a bit is fine..."

Unsure, the guards look at each other, partly unbelieving that a girl with manners could be labelled a criminal; but rules were rules and she broke them. However, one of them sighed, and deciding to at least tell her that much, answered. "We don't know the details either. But we've heard that Abarai-fukutaicho was taken down."

From the other side of the door, Rukia gasped in shock. "Renji..."

* * *

"Ow..."

Ichigo groaned, pushing herself into a sitting position, ignoring how her wounds protested quiet vocally against the motion; they still hurt but she felt gradually better.

As soon as he was aware of the orangette's movements, Hanataro hurried to her side and helped her sit up. "Ichigo-san, are you awake?"

"Yeah... Ow... What the heck happened?" Ichigo poked her cheek. It didn't hurt really bad, but she was sure that she didn't get a wound like that when fighting Renji. Maybe she got it when she fell unconscious? But, something, especially Hanataro's nervous breakdown, told her otherwise.

"A-ah... Well... Y-You see, you were getting up and..."

Then, Ichigo remembered a portion of what happened, and the glimpse of the face that knocked her out, and least to say Ichigo wasn't happy. She growled. "Ganju... You jerk...!"

"You remember?" Hanataro smiled nervously at the angry, fiery and completely unsettling little gleam in Ichigo-san's eyes. Hanataro thanked every god that Ganju-san was away now, Ichigo-san looked very, very angry and Hanataro wasn't sure if he had anything that could help Ganju-san after Ichigo-san was finished... Considering that himself was spared of course.

"Naturally! That bastard... Laying a hand on an injured person... Ow..." Ichigo rubbed her cheek. It actually didn't hurt that much, but Hanataro and Ganju just had to knock her out, and Ichigo felt like taking a bit of revenge here.

Ichigo promptly ignored the fact that sh—HE was acting like a girl who held petty grudges.

Oh well, she will give Hanataro a little mercy since the Shinigami bandaged her chest. He may have done it for medical purposes but Ichigo was thankful none the less, sh—he didn't really enjoy doing it, but she had to 'cause the cargo in her—his chest bounced way too much when jumping or running or fighting; it was a wonder how Inoue could run without trouble... Not to mention it hurt when those things happened, and Ichigo was never more embarrassed for that. Ichigo could only thank the gods that Ururu was present in the shop whenever she went to train.

"But I'm glad Ganju was able to stop you earlier." Hanataro gave a hesitant smile. "You shouldn't have tried to stand up, otherwise your wounds would bleed again..."

"Yeah. Sorry." She paused, furrowing her eyebrows as if thinking about something, and continued. "I wouldn't have tried to get up, but you wouldn't get Zangetsu for me, so..." Ichigo said almost doubtfully of her own words. Well, now that she thought about it, why was she so strung up over her zanpakuto again? She didn't remember much 'cause she was delirious... Oh, right, there was the white flash of what she assumed to be Zangetsu's bandaged AKA sheathed blade and a voice yelling at her to don't be stupid so as to assume herself to be alright to walk let alone get up; Ichigo presumed it was Ganju since she couldn't imagine Hanataro yelling let alone doing it so... savagely.

"...Eh?" Hanataro looked thrown off. "Y-You weren't going outside?"

Ichigo scowled. "I am not stupid, I knew if I did that I would be dead." She looked clearly annoyed as Hanataro paled. But that didn't mean that Ichigo remembered why exactly she wanted Zangetsu... Maybe she thought about being attacked and invaded still? She didn't remember, damn.

"W-Well..." Hanataro looked at anywhere but her, continuing nervously. "It's better if you lie down for a bit longer. No one will come after you here so rest assured."

"Yeah, unless you or Ganju decide to punch me again." muttered Ichigo, still strung over that matter.

Hanataro just hung his head at her words, embarrassed and guilty.

They sat in silence, each with their own thoughts of the day as Ichigo's gaze trained on her lap.

_'According to Renji, if I want to get to Rukia I would probably run into more Lieutenants in the way. Yoruichi-san said to avoid Captain Level opponents, but with that black-haired prick—Kuchiki Byakuya, was it?—in the picture there is no way I can do that; I have to defeat him if I want to get Rukia out of here. And Renji... Would he be willing to help me this time? He showed he wanted to save Rukia, but... And that's if he isn't already...'_ thought Ichigo, finding the last piece a bit unsettling, and she addressed the Shinigami. "Hey, Hanataro, do you know what happened to Renji?"

Hanataro blinked in surprise, caught off guard, "Uh? Oh, umm. Well, I'm not really sure of the details, but he would normally be sent to emergency relief."

"I see..."

* * *

_**(The next day)**_

"AAHHHHHHHH!"

Five horrified and shocked Lieutenants stood still, staring at the body of Aizen Sosuke being pinned to the wall of a building by his own Zanpakuto, blood splattered the space around him as dead brown eyes gaze at nothing, with a large amount of blood streaming and making a puddle from where it dripped to the ground. With that much blood lost, the weapon stabbed straight to his heart and judging by the color of his skin, a sickly grey that could only mean one thing; Aizen Sosuke was confirmed dead by any person that saw him.

"Aizen-taicho...!" breathed out Matsumoto Rangiku with wide eyes, shocked and horrified. She was the Lieutenant of Squad 10.

Iba Tetsuzaemon, lieutenant of Squad 7, just looked on in shocked silence.

Kira Izuru, lieutenant of Squad 3, was in no better position than his fellow lieutenants, and he could only look at the corpse of one of the Captains of Gotei 13 with no less shock than his fellow Shinigami.

Hinamori Momo whimpered, wide eyes not believing what they were seeing and completely convinced that this was a nightmare. She wasn't seeing the person she admired, her Captain, one of the most kind people she had ever met, dead and stabbed by his own Zanpakuto; no, Momo refused to believe that. But no matter how much she blinked, the same image still was present to her, eventually sending her to hysterics as reality began setting in.

Her captain was murdered...? No... No... This had to be an illusion! There's no way Aizen-taicho would... He couldn't be...!

"AIZEN-TAICHOOOO!" Momo's ear-piercing wail penetrated the horrified silence that befell the surroundings.

"What's all this racket, so early in the morning?" came the playful voice of someone.

Everyone looked behind them to see Ichimaru Gin standing with a mocking grin.

"My, my... This is a terrible situation, isn't it?" Gin chuckled.

* * *

_**(Elsewhere)**_

Ichigo released a relieved breath when she finally finished putting on her top part of her Shihakusho. No matter if sh—he had done it a dozens times before, he would never get accustomed to it. It was hard enough to know s—he had the 'cargo', but having it bandaged and out of his sight really helped this time.

_***SNOREEE***_

Ichigo snorted, turning over the corner and deadpanning at the sight that beheld. Ganju was sleeping with Hanataro leaning against his knee and drooling on the older-looking man's pants. Ichigo admitted that she may be thankful to Ganju for carrying her away from the battlefield, but she was still pissed at him for knocking her out; not only that, but she was amused by the scene too. Though, Hanataro still needed his rest and she wasn't going to disturb that until they were ready to march and out.

Ganju chose that moment to groan, slowly awakening from his sleep as Ichigo watched on with in slight amusement. Ganju let out a huge yawn, stretching his arms high above his legs, before freezing when he felt a wet patch on his leg.

Ganju looked down in shock, eyes widening in disgust and horror when he saw Hanataro sound asleep on his leg and drooling.

"Hanataro!" Ganju screamed, jumping to his feet and forcing the healer to his the ground with a thump. "What are you doing, sleeping on my knee!? I'm no pillow!" He choked when he saw drool on his pants, crying out. "Dammit! My only good pair of pants is slimy with your drool! You bastard!"

_'Okay, enough amusement for today.'_ thought Ichigo, making her presence known. "Give him a break, he's exhausted."

Ganju blinked, turning to see Ichigo in her Shihakusho and her usual scowl in place. Zangetsu was strapped to her back as normal, almost dwarfing her in size; though Ganju made sure to keep that piece of information to himself. He didn't know if she knew she was almost_ (nop. It was guaranteed and obvious)_ shorter than her own Zanpakuto, but he knew that if he wanted some amusement without enduring some punches he would have to wait for another person to point it out.

Ichigo stared at Ganju, wondering why her urge to hit him increased, but she shook it off and said. "Don't give him a hard time over a little drool."

"Are you feeling fine now, Ichigo?" asked Ganju as he looked her over. He still remembered what she looked like after her battle with that Lieutenant, it wasn't pretty to see blood coating her but now she looked loads better; the only proof he could see of her being injured were the bandages peeking out from her Shihakusho...

"Yeah. Thanks to Hanataro." Ichigo gave a small smile at the sleeping Shinigami, before looking at Ganju. "Your pains and aches are gone too, right?"

"Huh...? Well... Now that you mentioned it..." muttered Ganju, looking down and sure enough all the wounds he received from his battle with that pretty boy were healed.

"It looked like he was up treating your wounds early this morning, even though he was tired to the bone." said Ichigo, both looking down at the sleeping Shinigami.

"I see... I guess he was helping me out before I knew it." Ganju smirked down at the Shinigami, grateful and knowing his view on Shinigami changed slightly again. Which brought up the reminder of the situation and the events that would follow...

"Hm? What is it?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow, seeing Ganju looking at her with a serious expression.

"Hereafter, things are gonna get harder than they have ever been. The enemy's probably gotten pretty irritated now." Ganju warned.

"..."

"You're serious about doing this, aren't you?"

"..."

"Your heart is set on it, I hope."

"She's waiting, Ganju, and I will not back down." She closed her eyes, dryly adding. "I didn't come here to tour the sewers, after all."

Ganju smirked, the orangette smirking back.

"AAAHHH!" Hanataro bolted up from his sleep, flailing his arms and screaming. "Please stop it! Please stop! You shouldn't come on to me like this! I-I'm sorry!"

Ganju and Ichigo stared at him.

Finally, Hanataro noticed them. "Oh, uh... G-Good morning."

"What the heck were you dreaming about?" asked Ganju.

Hanataro laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "I-I can't say..."

Ichigo and Ganju stared at him, perplexed but deciding that it was better to not know.

* * *

Bells chimed as the wind blew softly, a shadowed figure being seen lazily sitting near the Senzaikyu Shishinro.

* * *

"..." Ichigo and Ganju were crouched down, looking at the little pill Hanataro was holding. In their opinion, something was obviously wrong with Hanataro's mind if he wanted to eat the thing. Come on! The pill had a red SKULL on it and HEARTS as eyes. What the hell?

"And? What is that?" asked Ichigo, eyeing the pill distrustfully. Her manliness was already non-existent as it was, there's no way in hell she would swallow the girly pill; she wanted preserve whatever manliness she still had thankyou very much. And it had a SKULL for god's sake!

"In order to not get tired out and continue working like workhorses, every member of Squad 4 is supplied with this nutritional tonic." explained Hanataro.

"Really?" muttered Ichigo in disbelief, sweatdropping. The skull said other wise... Who the hell draws a skull on a medicine tablet?

"There's a picture of a skull on it." said Ganju, also sweatdropping.

"It looks more like a poison than anything else." Ichigo stated bluntly.

"Are you sure you weren't tricked?" suggested Ganju, having the same opinion as the orangette.

"Take one tablet, and amazingly..." Hanataro gulped down the pill.

Ichigo and Ganju watched in anticipation, waiting to see if Hanataro's words were real or if he would kick the bucket from the skull-painted pill.

"..."

"..."

"And here I go. Well, shall we?" Hanataro got up, turning to walk away.

"Matte, matte, matte, matte! Oi!" yelled Ichigo and Ganju, half-outraged that nothing happened.

"What is it?" asked Hanataro cluelessly with half-lidded eyes, looking as if he was about to kneel over at any second.

"What do you mean by 'What is it?'!?" demanded Ichigo. "It didn't change anything!"

"Did that pill do anything!? It didn't, did it?" questioned Ganju. "That stupid pill didn't have an effect on you at all!"

"What are you talking about? Just look at my face. You see how full of energy and life and vitality it is now?" Hanataro pointed to his face lazily.

Ichigo and Ganju stared at him incredulously.

"...It looks the same as a minute ago." said Ichigo.

Ganju nodded. "I think you were tricked, after all."

* * *

Ichigo and Ganju lifted up the tile, looking around to see if it was clear as Hanataro popped up behind them.

"'Kay. There's no one around." Ganju muttered, climbing out with the other two following him.

"We just fought here yesterday." Ichigo began, looking at the destroyed rubbles and the marks on the floor not far away. "It seems weird that there aren't any guards around."

"The enemy probably wouldn't think we would be hanging around here a day later." replied Ganju, staring at the long case of stairs. He swore that he almost couldn't see the top, and he had to climb all those things... Ugh! How troublesome.

"I suppose so..."

"Boy! I am so full of energy now!" exclaimed Hanataro, pumping his fists up in the air.

Ichigo sighed. "I tell you, you don't look like it."

"Hey, by the way, you think the others are doing okay?" asked Ganju. "Like the guy with the glasses and the white cape, and that chick with the walnut-colored hair..."

The orange-haired girl rolled her eyes. "The 'chick'? The word's not 'in' anymore."

"I don't think 'in' is the word anymore, either." piped up Hanataro, smiling obliviously.

Ichigo scowled, having an anime tick mark as she gave Hanataro a rather vicious noogie, both fists drilling into either side of Hanataro's head and completely ignoring the healer Shinigami's cries and apologies.

"Anyway, they will be fine. Ishida and Inoue are a hundred times smarter than me." said Ichigo, stopping the punishment for now.

"So that means..." Ganju drawled. "You're a hundred times dumber than they are."

Hanataro nodded sagely. "That's what it means."

"..."

"OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it I swear!" cried out Hanataro as Ichigo gave him another drilling noogie.

Ichigo scowled, but decided that it was enough and stopped much to Hanataro's relief, and she told Ganju. "Ishida and Inoue wouldn't take on enemies they know they can't beat. They're going to be fine, I'm sure."

"What about the other one? The one called... Chad?"

Ichigo hummed, starting to walk as she answered. "There's even less cause to worry about him."

"Why's that?"

"...I can sense it." said Ichigo after a minute, stopping in her steps. "I can sense it, his Reiatsu, ever since we landed here. Besides..." Ichigo smiled confidently. "I can't imagine Chad ever losing."

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Yasutora Sado, nicknamed "Chad" by Ichigo and friends, had been utterly shocked when he realized Ichigo's words were true and that he did turn into a girl.

In fact, the only reason he didn't still suspect of the orange-haired girl as an impostor was because of her eyes; and he was not talking about color or size, but the emotions and the way they practically screamed 'Ichigo!'.

He still remembered the first time he met the orange-haired Kurosaki, in fact he had just been dreaming about it not long ago. The encounter involved lots of punks, rocks, fights and beaten bodies; but in the end they became buddies. Ichigo was fierce and rude, but in the time Chad got to know him the giant man discovered that there was a soft side inside the teen concerning his friends and sisters. Though... Chad supposed that he should call Ichigo a 'she' now, shouldn't he?

Chad didn't know if Ishida or Inoue were as shocked as himself since he admittedly didn't know them as he knew Ichigo, but he was certain of this because he knew those eyes anywhere. His Abuelo _(Grandfather)_ always said that the eyes were the windows to a soul, and it was proven true when he looked into the eyes of the unfamiliar orange-haired girl to see Ichigo's... self. Sure, Ichigo's appearance may have changed **a lot** through an accident _(according to Ichigo, and Chad doubted Ichigo would joke about something like this)_, but Ichigo was still Ichigo and as far as Chad knew some change in gender wasn't going to change it.

Ichigo had promised to fight for him as long as he fought for hi—her; and Chad wasn't going to break that promise when Ichigo, even after suffering through an unintentional change in gender, still maintained the promise. And Chad knew that even if Ichigo looked different, Ichigo was still the same Ichigo that he knew as one of his friends, a friend that he vowed to fight for.

Although, Chad was sure that if the gangsters back in Karakura ever saw Ichigo as she was now, he would have his hands full of work.

For now though, he better concentrate on this mission of rescuing Kuchiki Rukia and regroup with the others. His main objective was to reach the Senzaikyu Shishinro that the Shinigami spoke of.

Unknown to him, he was heading straight to where the Captain and Lieutenant of the 8th Division were.

* * *

_**(Way to Senzaikyu Shishinro)**_

Everything was wrong. Everything was ridiculous. Everything was heavy.

And it felt as if she had a knife pressed against her throat the whole time.

Completely ridiculous, indeed. The owner of this reiatsu wasn't a normal Shinigami. Her legs felt heavy from its mere presence, she even felt the edge of it affecting her mind because there wasn't a blade against her throat, and she knew that it wasn't human; every step she forced herself to take wasn't making difference between the enemy and her. This reiatsu was different to the reiatsu of the other people she had met so far, even from Ikkaku or Getaboshi or Renji or even that black-haired prick; none of them felt this unsettling. This reiatsu was full of killing intent and some type of feeling... blood lust, maybe? She didn't know but she knew that whatever it was, it would be unpleasant for herself.

Then, a faint jingle reached her ears and she froze, eyes narrowing as she whirled around to look at the building behind them. Brown eyes widened in shock when she caught sight of a massive shadow looking down at her with a huge smirk, its eyes looking almost demonic in the shadows that cast over it; the pressure in the air doubled.

"What's the matter? How long are you going to keep looking over there?" a voice asked behind her, shocking Ichigo.

Before she could even glance over her shoulder, a massive pain exploded in her chest, and she looked down in shock to find a sword impaled through it and blood dripping down and splattered around her chin.

Ichigo coughed and blinked, only to find the katana, the blood, the wound and the pain gone. Her hand shook as she reached up to grip the place where her wound had been, hand rustling against shihakusho and _no blood_; it was ridiculous, she was sure there was a wound, she _felt_ the sword being stabbed through her and the pain. But now that she looked there wasn't anything, no pain and no blood; nada and zip. It... It couldn't be that it was killing intent, could it? Could killing intent alone even do that?

"You're Kurosaki Ichigo, right?"

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" Ichigo hissed, whirling around with a hand reaching to Zangetsu's hilt.

"What? Haven't you heard from Ikkaku?" demanded the man, feeling annoyed.

_"Wait a minute. Can I ask you something? Who's the strongest in your group?"_

_"The strongest of our group. . .? Well... that would be me."_

_"I see... In that case, be careful of my squad captain. The Captain ain't interested in weaklings. If what you said is true, make no mistake, the one he'll be after is you." _

_"Is he strong?"_

_"When you see him, you'll see what I mean. Of course, that's if you can live long enough for your brain to comprehend his strength." _

_"What's his name?"_

"I'm Zaraki Kenpachi, captain of the 11th division." Kenpachi introduced himself with a large grin. "I'm here to fight you to death." The pressure increased.

Ichigo's eyes widened. _'Yoruichi-san said to avoid all captains, but... this guy... the reiatsu I have sensed until now was his... How the heck do I get away from that?!'_

"What's the matter?" questioned Kenpachi, grinning. "I said, I'm here to fight you to death. Since you haven't replied, shall I start?"

_***thump!***_

Hearing the sudden noise, Ichigo quickly glanced over her shoulder in concern, seeing Ganju on his knees and panting for breath, the meek 4th Division member on the other hand had completely collapsed on the ground and was a shaking mess as his blank eyes stared off into space with fear clear in them. "Ganju! Hanataro! Hey, Hanataro! Are you—"

"Ichigo, you idiot!" Ganju snapped amidst his harsh breathing. "Me and Hana just overdosed a little of that reiatsu. Don't worry about us! We're fine, so look in front of you or you'll get beat in the blink of an eye!" He and Hanataro were fine, as long as they could survive the reiatsu of course; but Ichigo was an entirely different matter. Ganju knew she was the strongest among them three, and that guy did said he was here to fight her to death, so it would fall to Ichigo to defeat the other guy; while Ganju was concerned for her, there was no other way. And Ichigo had to give all her attention to that prick, otherwise she would die.

"Wow! Look at that drool!" exclaimed a cheery voice.

Ichigo quickly turned around, just in time to see a pink blur disappear from Kenpachi's side.

"He must have been pretty scared of Ken-chan! Poor thing." continued the voice, and Ichigo felt something land on her shoulder, she hissed and shrugged her shoulder roughly, forcing whoever was there to jump backwards.

"Ooopsey!" yelped Kusajishi Yachiru, landing next to her captain as she pouted childishly. "She got mad at me."

Kenpachi rolled his eye, glaring down at her with arms crossed over his chest. "Baka. It's your fault."

_'What is she? Where did she come from?'_ thought Ichigo in disbelief, a hand reaching to grasp Zangetsu's hilt as she watched the two bicker. _'And how come she can be totally relaxed in this reiatsu?'_ "Hey, you twerp! What the heck are you?" questioned Ichigo bluntly. Let it be known that one Kurosaki Ichigo completely sucked with children, though by now it didn't matter much.

Yachiru blinked, and smiled cutely. "I'm Kusajishi Yachiru." She held up two pointer fingers, making the '11' as she cheerfully finished. "Lieutenant of the 11th Division!" Yachiru smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you!"

Lieutenant? Ichigo felt like choking at that. The same rank as Renji the brat said? Not only that, but she didn't even notice the girl until she landed on her shoulder. It was decided, the two of them, Zaraki Kenpachi and Kusajishi Yachiru, weren't normal Shinigami. If that was the case...

"Ganju!"

"Yeah?" Ganju finally managed to stand on his feet, breathing slightly easier but not enough to be... 'comfortable'.

"Take Hanataro and go ahead. " ordered Ichigo without taking her eyes off the pair in front of her. "I'll handle things here somehow. Take care of Rukia!"

Ganju was looking at her in shock. "What the hell're you—"

"GANJU!" Ichigo shouted harshly with bangs hiding her eyes, her grip on Zangetsu tightening. "I'm counting on you."

For a second, there wasn't response, before Ganju grunted. "...Che!" Ganju gritted his teeth and picked up Hanataro. "You better stay alive, you midget!" hollered Ganju angrily, running away towards the Senzaikyu Shishinro.

"Arara..." Yachiru blinked. "They're gone..."

"Sorry. But I won't let you pass here." stated Ichigo, the bandages around her sword unraveling as she brandished him, holding Zangetsu in front of her.

"You don't get it, do you?" grumbled Kenpachi, annoyed. "Don't make me repeat myself. I went out of the way to wait here just to fight you. I don't give a shit about where your friends go or if this Kuchiki-whoever dies; you can even go save that girl for all I care."

"Is that so? Good, then." muttered Ichigo, her reiatsu swirling around her in a wild wave of silvery blue.

Kenpachi grinned at seeing the visible reiatsu. "Heh... Not bad. Your stance is rigid and you're full of opening, but your reiatsu, at least, is damn good. Any ordinary Fukutaichou probably wouldn't even be a distraction. It's no wonder Ikkaku lost... But it's still not quiet enough to fight me." Kenpachi grinned wider. "How about I give you a freebie?" He pulled his upper front shihakusho apart exposing his scarred chest. "I'll let you cut me first. Cut me wherever you want."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Sugoi!" squealed Yachiru. "Ken-chan, you're so giving!"

"Ain't I?" Kenpachi chuckled. "I'm literally a bleeding heart of generosity."

"Don't screw with me!" Ichigo snarled. "What the hell're you saying!? You think I could cut someone who hasn't even drawn his sword!? Are you makin' fun of me!?"

"I ain't makin' fun of no one. It's just a freebie." Kenpachi even looked amused. "Not wanting to attack a man who hasn't even drawn his blade is admirable, but keep that neat-and-tidy crap for another day. Come on, lighten up. Let's have some fun. Whether you kill or get killed, it's just another way to kill time."

Ichigo glowered, suppressing a shiver and glaring at him as her hand tightening around Zangetsu.

"Come on. Slash my throat or my eyes; stab me through my chest or stomach... Hell you could even stab me right through my head and end it in one strike! Come on, I won't stop you!" Kenpachi cackled, noticing that the orange-haired girl was barely holding her anger in check. "QUIT SHAKIN'! BRING IT!"

Ichigo snapped and shot forward, sword brought up and aiming for his chest.

* * *

"It's useless! There's no way she can beat that man! Even Ichigo-san will get killed!"

"Hana, you..." Ganju stared at him, slightly shocked and curious. "Do you know that wire-head?"

"That man..." Hanataro shuddered, wide eyes full of fear trained on the ground as he spoke. "That man is the captain of the 11th Division, Zaraki Kenpachi. For generations, 'Kenpachi' has been the name given to the person who most loves fighting and the one who has killed the most people... That name means that 'no matter how many times he's killed, he will never go down'." Hanataro trembled. "It's beyond even the dimension of 'weak and strong'! That man **can't **die. He's immortal. If you fight him, you'll die no matter what!"

"...Alright. After hearing that, I'm even more sure we can't go back."

"Ganju-san—!"

"Listen!" Ganju glared at Hanataro seriously. "That girl, she... Ichigo said she's _counting on us_ to take care of Kuchiki Rukia."

Hanataro reared back in surprise.

"We felt that incredible reiatsu too. Both Ichigo and I can tell that wire-head ain't normal. So Ichigo decided for herself..." Ganju had walked until he was standing beside Hanataro, and he looked at him in the eye. "...she decided to stay there and let us go ahead. It was Ichigo's decision that she wanted to put saving this Kuchiki person ahead of everything else! Do you get it, Hanataro? Ichigo knows she can die in that battle, and she has entrusted us with this all-important mission!"

"Ganju-san..."

"We can't be wastin' time here. If you get it, let's go!" shouted Ganju as he took off in a run.

"H-Hai!"

_'Ichigo... After we save this Kuchiki person, we will be coming back for you, I promise.'_ thought Ganju to himself determinedly as he ran._ 'When we do, we will go back to Rukongai together! There's a shitload of things I have to say to you! So, Ichigo, don't you dare freakin' die before then!'_

* * *

Yachiru sat curled up like a cat, wide eyes watching idly as blood sprayed through the air.

Ichigo stood, baffled, as she stared at her bleeding hands in shock. Her blade had connected with Kenpachi's chest, and she was sure she swung down with all her strength plus reiatsu... Then, why didn't he have a scratch!? Why were her hands torn instead!?

"What the heck... Is that all you got? What a buzz-kill."

Ichigo gasped as Kenpachi took the sharp edge of Zangetsu with his bare hand, and she leapt back, her waraji skidding against the ground as she glared at him. No matter how much she hated to acknowledge it, fear shot through her being like cold ice; it was completely impossible. That guy took Zangetsu's sharp edge with his bare hand, not even a scratch!

"It's useless, Itchy." said Yachiru, suddenly appearing in front of the orangette. "You can't cut Ken-chan." Yachiru was frowning as she pointed at Zangetsu. "After all, to Ken-chan, that thing doesn't even have an edge."

"Want me to tell ya?" questioned Kenpachi, prompting Ichigo to look at him. "You're probably wondering why your sword can't cut me. It's nothin', really. When two reiatsu butt heads, the one that pushes less is hurt; that's all. In simpler terms, the killing intent you've been feeding your zanpakuto is weaker than the reiatsu I leak unconsciously. It's as simple as that." Kenpachi looked disappointed that Ichigo couldn't even cut him. "Geezus. I can't believe I spent all those days looking for you. If it was a joke, it wouldn't even be funny. Now it's my turn." He slid his own katana out of its sheath, holding it up in the air as the reiatsu increased. "At least, let me get the rust off this baby. I'm countin' on you, Ryoka."

Ichigo gritted her teeth, charging forward as her sword connected against his.

* * *

Ise Nanao, Lieutenant of the 8th Division, stood on top of an intact rooftop as she watched her captain defeat the dark-skinned Ryoka.

Someone appeared behind her, and without turning she spoke up. "What does the Ritei tai (Stealth Force) want with me? If they wished to give me orders, the Jigokucho (Hell Butterfly) should have sufficed."

"Hai. However, it's because the message is signed by both Yamamoto-soutaicho and Hitsugaya-taicho."

"Signed by both captains?" Nanao murmured in surprise, and she finally turned to look at the stealth force member as she asked. "Is it a top priority order?"

* * *

Another loud clang was heard as Ichigo brought up Zangetsu to block Kenpachi's sword.

During the few minutes she had battled against Zaraki Kenpachi, Ichigo quickly discovered that the man was simply a **monster**; they were like predator and prey, and she was the prey much to her loathing. Kenpachi's strikes were on a different level than even Renji's, his reiatsu continued to grow and he seemed to be _bored_ while overwhelming her. No matter how much she hated to admit it, Ichigo was afraid and she could only run least her head got chopped off.

"I don't like chasing rabbits but I will chase you if you continue to run." Kenpachi stated bluntly as he swung down his sword again, Ichigo's eyes were filled with fear as she barely managed to block his strike. Kenpachi's eyes narrowed as he twisted his sword sharply causing Ichigo to momentarily lose balance as she stumbled, but she managed to force herself to swing her blade up hence in return forcing Kenpachi to block the strike to his head this time.

Blood dripped to the ground as Ichigo's hands shook from the strain as Kenpachi continued adding more force to the locked blades; it was all Ichigo could do to continue pouring reiatsu into Zangetsu to keep up with the lockdown; and it wasn't exactly easy considering she hadn't ever poured reiatsu into Zangetsu and fought at the same time. And eventually, Ichigo's legs couldn't hold her up against Kenpachi's strength and she crashed to the ground. Ichigo gritted her teeth and quickly rolled to the side when Kenpachi swung down once again, his sword crashing to the ground instead of herself as dust rised once again.

Kenpachi snorted and charged forward as Ichigo brought up Zangetsu to block again, thick reiatsu swirling around each other as chipped blade grinded against a gleaming edge.

_'Damn it! Calm down, I said, dammit! '_ thought Ichigo to herself, and she readjusted Zangetsu in an angle to let the powered sword of Kenpachi slid off and crash to the ground, and the orangette leapt back a distance, mind working furiously.

She couldn't cut the guy with mere strength alone, pouring reiatsu into Zangetsu didn't work either, fast strikes were useless if she couldn't even cut him, and her hands were still shaking from the lockdown from before to boot; only option she had for now was to retreat since the guy obviously wouldn't wait for her to recuperate. And she had a bit of a 'plan' to do that.

And as she concentrated reiatsu once again within Zangetsu along with some changes, Ichigo just hoped that it wouldn't backfire before she swung down the blade, an arc of _crackling_ blue flying towards Kenpachi who scowled as his reiatsu raised, destroying the attack as dust flew up.

However, when the dust cleared, Kenpachi blinked when he noticed Ichigo wasn't present.

It wasn't an attack... so...

...Instead, it was a distraction.

Kenpachi growled in frustration. Ikkaku said that he would enjoy a fight, but so far the Ryoka just ran; he swore Ikkaku would end up in the 4th Division barracks again if this continued. As he said, if this was a joke it wasn't funny; Kenpachi took lies of strong opponents seriously, especially when it's been a long time since he has fought one.

Sometimes it was troublesome to be part of the group of wimpy Shinigami since he couldn't fight as freely as before.

* * *

"Damn it to all hell...!" Ichigo cursed as she allowed her back to rest against a wall, before she pierced Zangetsu into the ground and rested her forehead on the handle, still gasping for breath from the how much she pushed herself to run.

Run...

Damn it! Was running and cowering all she could ever do!? Ever since this fight started, ever since Kenpachi appeared, ever since feeling the man's mere reiatsu she had only ran for god's sake! It was pathetic, completely pathetic, she was pathetic; how could she ever hope to save Rukia if she just ran from an enemy? She had to beat him, defeat him and continue towards the Senzaikyu; she couldn't die in a place like this, she had a lot of things to do still after all.

Saving Rukia.

Return to her family just as she promised Goat-face... Or more like Goat-face blackmailed her really.

Also, she still had to kick Getaboshi's ass for her situation as a girl, but so far all her attempts were a big and red ZERO result; so she had to stay alive to do so in the future.

And many more; Ichigo refused to die in a place that sentenced their own comrade to death-row just for helping a human, one of the very thing Soul Society had vowed with their lives to protect but condemned Rukia for doing so. In her mind, Soul Society was completely rotten for doing so, aside from Rukia and Hanataro and that Shinigami against Grand Fisher (bastard), the other Shinigami didn't really make a great impression. It just served to make her wonder if afterlife was as great as some people made it seem to be, and so she had to save Rukia before those same moral-less people took her life for protecting herself and her family.

On the other hand, no matter how much she convinced herself, she was afraid and she hated being afraid; it made her weak and so hesitate in protecting others. She hated fear, but even she couldn't ignore the possibility of failing to protect her friends and family, just as she had failed to protect _**her**_ in that rainy night, and after just promising to do so no less!

She had to harden herself, believe that she could defeat Kenpachi because she **could** and **would**, her will was just wavering and that was the problem. She was questioning herself, doubting her own power, she was hesitating and that was what caused her to brush against death; it couldn't be helped, really. She couldn't even give him a scratch even after pouring reiatsu into Zangetsu. Nothing, nada, zip; it just served as an annoyance to Kenpachi.

Fear was disgusting and crippling when one knew the cause of it, wanting to destroy that source of fear only to find one couldn't do it.

_'Are his powers really that greater than mine?! Goddamnit!' _thought Ichigo to herself furiously, but she forced herself to calm down and shove all that useless fear to the back of her mind to think logically... or as logically as she could in this wacko world. _'Calm down, okay, calm down... There's no way he can't be cut, those scars have to come from some where; he can be cut, I **can** cut him, I'm just scared of his reiatsu. That's the problem!'_ Ichigo swallowed, closing her eyes.

_'Whenever I pour reiatsu into Zangetsu, I do it in a different way from that freaky attack I used against Renji. Between the two, the latter is more controlled while the other is more wild... Proof being the times when I used reiatsu to reinforce Zangetsu and creating an uneven crater when he crashed to the floor, but creating a** cleanly sliced** crater with that freaky attack... That's the problem: My attack was uncontrolled and wild because of... ugh... my fear. I've gotta calm down and sharpen my reiatsu like I did with that freaky attack, calm down like I did in my fight with Renji; don't hesitate, believe in myself, stop being a scaredy-cat and don't pull back. Zangetsu-ossan even said so...' _Almost unconsciously, Ichigo began muttering words aloud. "Cast off your fear. Look forward. Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you'll die." Ichigo pull off her zanpakuto off the ground, determined and ready to go face Kenpachi, but suddenly, her head shot up as something unpleasant brushed against her senses, something that gave her chills so unlike the fear she felt for Kenpachi but so familiar.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as she tried to pin-point the root of the new fear, and when she found it her eyes widened. _'Chad... Chad's reiatsu disappeared!_' she thought in shock and horror. _'It can't be... There's no way... Chad lost? Did he die? No way! That can't be! Chad's too strong to lose!'_

* * *

In another place, after informing her captain of the passing of Aizen Sosuke, Nanao found herself staring down at a certain dark-skinned Ryoka with narrowed eyes.

After a moment, she spoke. "Is something the matter, Kyoraku-taicho? This Ryoka isn't dead."

Kyoraku Shunsui remained silent.

Nanao raised a hand already glowing blue with Kido. "Shall I go and deliver the final blow?"

* * *

_'He's alive! It was faint, but his reiatsu is still there!'_ thought Ichigo in relief, looking up at the sky. Thank god. One of her friends hadn't died; she wouldn't forgive herself if they died just because they wanted to help her.

Wait... They want to help her... And here she was, wasting time. The others were fighting, they were here risking their lives helping her, they were brushing against death just as often as her, yet they continue on without stopping like herself.

"That's right... What do I have to be afraid of?" Ichigo murmured to herself in realization. "I can't stop here; I can't lose this fight... Chad, Inoue, Ishida, Ganju, Hanataro, Yoruichi-san... and Rukia... all the people who've given me strength, their efforts will be for nothing and they'll all die..." Ichigo took a deep breath, resolutely facing back where Kenpachi was waiting somewhere. "There's no time to be scared!"

* * *

Kenpachi's bells jingled lightly as Ichigo came into his view, and he looked up at her from where he was sitting. "So you finally came out." He said, standing up and facing her. "Are you ready to die? Or have you just given up?" questioned Kenpachi in a chilling boredom, almost as if he had been in this situation countless times.

"Both are wrong answers." stated Ichigo as lifted up Zangetsu and glared at Kenpachi fiercely.

They stood in tense silence, until Ichigo took the first move as she shot towards him with sword raised, Kenpachi lifting his own to block hers.

_'Just wait, Chad. I'll beat this guy, and then I'll come for you! It's a promise!'_

And as their swords clashed away with sparks flying, Ichigo swung up her reiatsu coated and sharpened Zangetsu to slash Kenpachi's chest, blood flowing out immediately as Ichigo jumped out of range of a potential counterattack. Ichigo glared at him in determination. "Sorry. I don't feel like dying yet." She told him flatly. "If I die, everything on my back will be destroyed, and I can't have that happenning."

"See, you can do it if you try." Kenpachi was grinning gleefully. "Don't soften it up yet. Keep it sharp like that. Here's where the fun starts." Steam flew off his recent wound as it healed, the same time his reiatsu suddenly increased as he cackled and lifted his sword. "Come, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

From atop a building, Yachiru giggled as she watched the two combatants. "Ken-chan looks so happy." She murmured to herself, delightened.

With a large grin, Kenpachi charged at Ichigo and swung down his sword, Ichigo blocking with her Zangetsu as dust blew up due to the force of two battling reiatsu.

They jumped back from each other, one with a maniacal grin and the other with a deep scowl, and clashed once again in a flurry of steel.

As Kenpachi blocked another of Ichigo's attacks, he unexpectedly reached out and grabbed Zangetsu directly, blood flying off his hand as he twisted the oversized blade, sending Ichigo flying upward. Kenpachi didn't seem alarmed by the wound on his hand, in fact, he seemed thrilled as he used Ichigo's airborne time to try to stab her with his sword.

Once again, Ichigo thanked Getaboshi for showing her unwanted but useful 'techniques' as she twisted her body, the sword instead slicing through the clothe of her Shihakusho. After that, she used the grip Kenpachi had on her sword to stabilized herself and kicked the blade out of the larger man's hand and flipped to the right, landing on both feet and quickly bringing Zangetsu up to defend again as Kenpachi suddenly appeared from behind.

Kenpachi's large grin broadened. "Good! Good reaction!" He praised as if he hadn't been about to slice her head open.

Forcing the blade away harshly, Ichigo leapt back, breathing heavily as she faced her grinning opponent with Zangetsu at ready.

"Your focus is improving; unlike a minute ago, you're actually hearing my bells." Kenpachi snickered. "I wear both the bells and the eyepatch just to enjoy fighting even more. There's no reason for me to wear 'em if you don't take advantage."

"Dammit..." Ichigo hissed through her teeth. "That's why you haven't released your Zanpakuto? To limit yourself and to enjoy fighting?"

"Oh?" Kenpachi's grin faded in itself for the first time as he gave Ichigo an odd look. "Well, sorry to burst your bubble but my Zanpakuto's got no name. My katana is butt-ass naked, it ain't got a sealed form to begin with, this is it's true form. You could say I've never released my Zanpakuto; according to the douchebags of the 12th Division it's because of my huge reiatsu."

Ichigo looked miffed and slightly shocked. This bastard was this strong without the zanpakuto? Even she had to admit that if she didn't have Zangetsu that her strengthen attacks would fail; she had tried pushing reiatsu into another object other than Zangetsu once and the results were disappointing. In fact, could a **Zanpakuto** even have no name to speak off? Getaboshi had to call out his sword's name to show off its true form, Ikkaku and Renji had to call their names too; and if this guy's Zanpakuto's had a true form surely it's got a name! Even her own Zanpakuto had a name and it was always the same cleaver sword! That the swords got their own category's as "Zanpakuto" must mean that each had names to distinguish them.

However, in her second of shock, Ichigo's reiatsu wavered slightly and that was enough for Kenpachi as he thrusted his sword towards her, easily cutting through Zangetsu and into her chest. Ichigo could only stare in heightened shock and pain as blood flowed out of her wound and blood dripping down her chin.

"I thought I told you not to let soften on your reiatsu." Kenpachi said, sounding very disappointed as he retracted his zanpakuto.

With a crack, Zangetsu shattered in two as Ichigo fell down, blood still pouring out like a river of red.

"What a shitty ending..." grumbled Kenpachi as he stared down at her. "Tch! Someone who could cut me... Someone who could hear my bells in the middle of a fight... It's been a long time since I've seen either..." He sounded depressed once again, walking away from the heavily breathing Ichigo. "It's over, huh... What a buzz-kill."

_'Damn! Damn! Damnit all! I don't wanna die! I can't die here!'_ thought Ichigo as she coughed out blood, tensing as she painfully forced one arm underneath herself, trying to get up with no success._ 'I can't afford to die in a place like this!_' she thought stubbornly, glaring at the leaving captain.

Kenpachi was aware of her struggles, but he merely ignored her; he wasn't interested in weaklings and with that much blood pouring out at this rate the girl would die either way even if she faced him. The only sounds that were heard were his sword dragging across the ground with a loud, grating noise.

But Kenpachi wasn't aware that time seemed to freeze for one Kurosaki Ichigo, the world turning into shades of grey as a mysterious man appeared beside Kenpachi, walking towards the fallen Ichigo in a swish of black and white clothes, expression calm and collected.

_'That man...!'_ thought Ichigo in shock, recognizing him. _'It's... It's Zangetsu-ossan!'_ The first and last time she had personally seen him like this was during that dammable Shattered Shaft in that crumbling world.

Right before she had turned into a girl, and right in the process of doing so.

* * *

**Sorry for any mistakes or OOCness. This chapter is a little difficult because for all I know Kenpachi is a difficult to write, for me that is, so sorry if it sucked.**

**As you know, since Ichigo is a girl, some scenarios may happen differently since her mind is gonna be affected partially too. I may write Ichigo making different decisions or changes, like I have change her style of fighting from Cannon; some enemies may die and some may remain the same. As you can see, because she's female (or because I wrote her to do it) Ichigo has wondered if Zanpakutos are really alive, hence maybe she would listen to Zangetsu sooner, or maybe she will be able to listen to Zangetsu without entering Jinzen and whatnot; still not sure on that. If Hollow Ichigo can talk to Ichigo without pulling him/her into the mindscape, I imagine that Zangetsu would be able to do it too. I may have Hollow Ichigo and Ichigo do an agreement or something, or I may leave the relationship to be the same or more vicious than cannon.**

**Also, the personalities of some characters, like Hollow Ichigo, are gonna have at least some reason to act the way they are, no matter if the reasons are simply for power or reaching God or trusting his/her instincts. I just like (weird, right?) to write out the character's feelings and thoughts on their actions. Though, be aware that some motives may be deeper, or different from cannon, just like how a villain is portrated as an evil guy but I may write him a reason he became like that. ****...Yet, some others may remain the same with just a bit of deeper meaning to empathize how 'important' their goal is; or how pointless or how bored they are. DX**

**The attack that Ichigo used as a 'distraction' wasn't the Getsuga Tenshou, just a mix between it and the reinforcing attack from before. Difference between the Getsuga Tensho and the reinforcing attack is that the latter compresses all the reiatsu into a wave that resembles the steel of a blade, while the latter just pours in reiatsu that bursts out in uncontrolled waves, hence making dust and her attacks more... 'messy'. So, the Getsuga Tenshou is stronger and controlled, while the reinforcing attack is more uncontrollable and weaker. This distraction has more reiatsu (less than Getsuga Tenshou) and it's the uncontrolled (to a degree) version of Zangetsu, creating a type of explosion when making contact or when destroyed.**

**Just imagine the elegant destruction the Getsuga Tenshou left after Ichigo fought Urahara and Renji, and compared it to Senju Tsunade's (From Narutoverse) powerful, earth-shattering but 'messy' punches. Ichigo's 'attack' that cut Kenpachi is a mix of the two: More reiatsu than her reinforcing attack (not enough for a Getsuga Tenshou), and controlled to a degree to make it sharp AKA 'elegant' enough.**

**Also, I have a poll up: Should I write the Bounto Arc or not? I am really conflicted in it. I admit it bored me a bit to watch through some of it, but it actually introduced how Ririn, Kurodo and Nova entered... along with other developments; and I consider them quiet important. Don't ask, I just do; but I am a bit conflicted since some friends said that 'the Bounto Arc is a waste of time'. I want the readers opinion; but be aware I may or may not write it depending on whatever reason you readers give. If I decide to leave it out I may write a summary introducing Nova, Ririn and Kurodo and speaking of the events.**


	8. Reflections of Hands & Swords

**I am sorry for the delayed update... I have really no excuse, other than the fact that exams are coming and that I didn't know how to pass this stage of meeting with Zangetsu and Hollow Ichigo and the battle with Kenpachi without screwing anything. Thankyou artfrogy (Anonymous), ultima-owner, Kleny GingerHead (Anonymous), Fenixx . Kurusai (take off the spaces; name doesn't come out right) TheBlackSeaReaper, , Belle-kurama-style-bankai, Guest (Anonymous), and NamikazeMia for reviewing! :D Also those that followed and favorited too; big thanks to you all.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

_**~~Chapter 8. Reflections of Hands & Swords~~**_

* * *

"Do you want to fight? Do you want to win? Or do you want to live? Which is it?"

Zangetsu knew long ago that his wielder had encountered a change since he had seen her from within his world; but actually seeing her with his eyes was... interesting. The Ichigo he had first seen had been a young boy, and this Ichigo was no different aside from being a female; not that Zangetsu cared. His wielder was his wielder and nothing was going to change that even in death. Though, Zangetsu wondered if the young one knew he had tried to talk to her several times; ...most likely not.

Ichigo, meanwhile unaware of the pondering of her Zanpakuto, was gritting her teeth as her hand tightened around the broken blade in her hand. Why did Zangetsu appear at a time like this? Why did time seem to stop? Why the heck did she get the feeling the question was important? Ichigo didn't know, and on another occasion she would have applauded at the luck of still breathing, but now she was in a pinch; and something just compelled her to answer the old man.

She knew her answer from the moment Zangetsu had asked her.

"I want... to win." she whispered, glaring determinedly and challenging the Zanpakuto to say so otherwise.

"I can't hear you." said Zangetsu, staring down at her with that calm gaze.

"Just fighting... is meaningless." What's the point in just fighting if it meant she would destroy everything around her? She had seen it thanks to Kenpachi, watched as his reiatsu crushed Hanataro and Ganju; Ichigo didn't want that to happen with her family or friends. Just fighting was meaningless and fruitless because it simply hurt her family; she had noticed how even her gang fights _(normal fights; weaklings they were; not even the lvl of Hollows; Shinigami...) _frightened Yuzu and hell would raise if she died; Ichigo refused to leave her family to mourn the loss of another family member... and for sake of god she didn't want a poster of herself hanging on the wall either! Just fighting didn't mean to always protect, it sometimes meant to attack mindlessly with the joy of battle and blood and **death**; Ichigo wanted to protect not destroy.

"Just surviving... is meaningless." What's the point in living if she didn't carry out anything? She couldn't just live, she had to have a purpose. Just living meant that she was another powerless human, subjected to watch as her family suffered or, even worse, died. Just surviving didn't exactly mean she would have the strength to protect others. Just surviving meant only that: surviving and surviving and surviving with no other purpose. No, Ichigo didn't want to just survive, she wanted to protect her family and friends. It couldn't do if she **just** survived because the point in surviving meant using any costs to do so, even running away and abandoning people. Ichigo refused to do that; she refused to run and just survive, and if she was going up against fights and death it was fine because life was a battle.

"I wanna win." said Ichigo almost breathlessly yet in a determined tone. Ichigo didn't simply wanted to die or live, she wanted to** win**. Winning meant winning battles. Winning meant being able to protect her family. Winning meant she had power. Winning meant she had a purpose. Winning meant she was living because she simply couldn't imagine a world where she _lost_ her family. Winning meant able to save Rukia. Winning meant that another family member or friend wouldn't die in front of her eyes just like that rainy night. In her eyes, winning meant everything_ (from her sisters' smiles to the victory of a battle; everything) _because losers lost everything, even family and friends.

"I WANNA WIN!"

"Very well." Zangetsu stepped forward and kneeled in front of his wielder. "Then I shall take you there."

Before Ichigo could even wonder about what the old man was talking about, his tattered cloak fluttered and spanded, engulfing the downed girl in a blanket of black.

Then, Ichigo found herself falling through a void.

* * *

Cautiously, Ichigo peeked through an eye, then opened both her eyes fully in confusion. This place, from the suspicious-looking floor to the weird-ass way the clouds floated... She recognized this place, it was right where she had fallen—

. . .

. . .

. . . Oh.

"Eeek!" Ichigo yelped as she plastered herself flat against the floor, er, windows? And now that she could pay attention without falling to her death, what was with the wacko way the clouds and everything was!? The clouds floated down and up while the floor was the windows... And god above, she couldn't see the floor, or was it sky? Whatever! She really didn't want to fall down like the other time... Next thing she knew she could have two heads and a tail and she didn't want to take any risks; being a girl was enough joke thankyou very much.

"What are you doing?" asked Zangetsu dully from behind her, or was it above her?

"W-Well, 'cuz if I don't do this I will fall again!"

"You needn't worry about that. That time, you fell only because your Hollowfication caused the destabilization of this inner world." Zangetsu walked forward calmly, passing by Ichigo as he continued speaking. "Look. Though you are in a fierce battle outside, your inner world trembles not in the slightest."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. "Hold on! Hold on! You are saying that this jacked-up, sideways ridiculousness is the normal state!?" She faintly wondered if it had something to do with Getaboshi's prone to madness...

"It seems you have become a bit stronger." said Zangetsu with a straight face.

A tick mark throbbed in Ichigo's head. "Incredible... Ignoring me outright, huh?"

Zangetsu turned to the orange-haired girl. "Stand, Ichigo!"

Frowning, Ichigo got up, only to freak out as Zangetsu threw her an unsheathed sword, Ichigo fumbling around to hold it right. Finally she held it by the hilt as she glared at him angrily. "Hey! What was that for!? That was dangerous!" Ichigo twitched when the old man just continued walking and ignoring her.

"Take it. It's your sword." replied Zangetsu.

"What?" Ichigo stopped in confusion, looking down at the normal sword and back again at Zangetsu. "But... You, I mean, Zangetsu—"

"It is an Asauchi_ (Shallow Forging)_." Zangetsu said without turning around. "It is a nameless Zanpakuto wielded by low-level Shinigami who are unable to join the Gotei 13."

"No, well, I am saying my Zanpakuto—"

"Your Zanpakuto?" questioned the old man with a strange note in his voice as he stopped by the edge of a building. "Do you mean Zangetsu which was broken by your enemy?"

Ichigo winced at that memory. Okay, maybe she should have paid attention but she was distracted and... Yeah, she was guilty alright.

"Ichigo." Zangetsu turned to the orangette as the cleaver sword appeared in his hand. "I cannot give you this." Much to Ichigo's shock, Zangetsu threw the blade off the building.

"Wait, what are you—!"

**"Outta the way!"**

A white blur shot past her before she could do anything, jumping from the building and grabbing the falling blade, flipping to the next building as the person chuckled, turning to face Ichigo with a large, mocking and gleeful grin.

"T-That's...!" Ichigo stared at the white figure in disbelief.

**"Don't 'that' me... Aibou_ (partner)_."** The figure grinned widely. The person was literally white: White skin, white hair, white shihakusho and so on. The eyes of the albino were an ominous golden and a black sclera, the shihakusho was black where it was supposed to be white, and Ichigo swore that there was something familiar about the figure _(aside from the appearance, of course)_.

But that wasn't the surprising thing; life wouldn't be life for one Kurosaki Ichigo if it wasn't fucked up.

Ichigo was shocked because the person was the mirror image of her **_male_** self. THE HELL!?

And what was up with the clouds suddenly gathering in the sky? They didn't look very friendly.

Zangetsu gave the sky a brief glance and frowned at the gray clouds gathering. He had noticed the clouds gathering in the sky and it didn't make him happy at all. They had been constantly gathering and disappearing ever since his wielder... changed; and Zangetsu didn't like it. He counted himself glad that it hadn't rained _yet_, and he was determined to not let that happen.

**"Hehehehe..."** The albino snickered and grinned at his female counterpart. **"Surprise, surprise, Aibou! Better close yer mouth or flies are gonna fly in!"** He had also known Ichigo turned into a girl, but seeing it with his own eyes was hilarious and... conflicting, to say the least. But aside from that, the albino had a hidden agenda that compelled him to be happy of meeting Ichigo and he wasn't telling soon; he had to 'test' Ichigo first, literally and figuratively speaking.

"Now we will test whether or not you are worthy to wield me." Zangetsu spoke up. "If you wish to obtain me once more, snatch me away with your own hands. Your enemy is yourself." In more ways than one, went unsaid but understood by the one of the other habitants of this world.

The albino laughed as if knowing something Ichigo did not. And, while he would have liked it if both of them had Zangetsu while fighting, this could be just as fun. **"Sounds good. Go right ahead, Aibou. If you can, that is!"** With a last snicker, he jumped and crossed the distance of the two buildings, launching himself at Ichigo with sword held high. Ichigo quickly brought up the Asauchi to defend herself, eyes slightly wide at how fast the albino was; the two swords clashed and sparks flew off where the two edges met.

Ichigo was sent back with one final push from the albino, and she slammed a foot behind her to keep her balance as she skidded against the floor. Ichigo grimaced, and glanced back at the albino, only to see a roaring red reiatsu encasing the albino and Zangetsu; the difference between Zangetsu and a normal Asauchi was obvious, and it didn't take long for even Ichigo to realize this.

**"What's wrong, Aibou?"** The albino grasped the cloth of Zangetsu and began swinging the blade from side to side. Then, with one swift movement and a flick of his wrist, the sword was sent spinning like a helicopter blade high above his head. **"If you keep just standing there, I'm gonna kill ya!"** Abruptly, the albino thrusted his arm out and sent the sword flying directly at a shocked Ichigo who barely managed to leapt out of the way, the building behind her crumbling as the attack connected with it. **"Che! Missed."** The albino snickered and yanked hard on the cloth to directly bring Zangetsu back into a spin.

_'Throwing Zangetsu by the hilt-wrap...'_ Ichigo narrowed her eyes at the albino image of her male self._ 'I had thought about it once after my fight with Ikkaku, but...'_

Ichigo's glare intensified.

**"Awe! I see the little pipsqueak has noticed!"** taunted the albino, laughing when a vein popped in Ichigo's forehead.

Due to her current height, Ichigo couldn't manage the technique because the blade would scrap against the floor, thus throwing the direction of the blade off or give openings to her opponents; it wasn't as if she had time to practice to cover those up either. And if she held it high enough to avoid that, she would be holding it an at awkward angle hence making her fighting style useless; well, not exactly useless, but enough so that her head would have the chance of rolling off her shoulders.

This entertained and pleased the albino immensely.

"SHUT UP YOU DAMN ALBINO!" Ichigo raged as she levelled her Asauchi at him angrily. "Just because I am like this doesn't give you the right to mock me!" Yeah! So what if she was short!? There was no need to rub it in her face goddamnit! And to see her male self so tall while she was so short... Sure she knew she was shorter than Orihime, but now that she looked at the mirror image of her former body, and in essence her former height, she could see how much she changed; it was soul crushing.

And now that she paid attention to her height, was it her or was she shorter than before?

**"Yeah? Who says so, SHORTY?"** Albino stressed the last word mockingly. **"Whether you want to or not, this is reality, accept it... It's pathetic. Not only that, but with a bad-ass sword like this, how could you get all bloodied up like that? It's incomprehensible! No, wait, it isn't; you're just too much of a pansy to accept and use your full potential!"**

The reason to his speech was simply because Ichigo didn't accept **reality** (or more specifically:_** her**_self), so it stopped her from using Zangetsu to his full potential. Contrary to his other self, the albino had accepted his current self, accepted the madness of this world, accepted the unfairness of reality that made him into this; and thus his skill wasn't 'locked' like Ichigo's. Sure, Ichigo may have accepted this world to an extent, but she still had some ways to go before she could accept everything, and it impeded Zangetsu from contacting her from situations outside of Jinzen or when Ichigo was near death_ (like now)_. And so, it was the albino's job to make Ichigo accept her situation; after all, who else to knock some sense into Ichigo other than someone who had to forcefully accept cruel reality?

**"Can you become best friends with someone you just met, by just asking their name?"** questioned the albino once again with a large grin. **"Tell me, as you were fighting, did you once consider calling on Zangetsu for his help? And I am not talking about those sad excuses of boosts, but actually asking for Zangetsu's help!"** The albino smirked at the surprise in Ichigo's eyes. Of course he knew those attempts at upping her weakened strength, it was natural that he would know... **"This isn't all there is to Zangetsu's power! If you give more to him, if you work together with him, you and him would become stronger! But you won't do that! You are too scared to rely on your Zanpakuto's power and help!"**

As he stood on a pole, Zangetsu watched everything in silence.

Ichigo's lips pressed tight against each other, dodging the flying blade as she reluctantly acknowledged the albino's words. It was true, she had always fought with Zangetsu, but she hadn't actually _called_ upon his help; not knowing he was actually alive was no excuse. She didn't know how that albino knew about it, or why the albino knew her emotions about _that_, but it didn't matter; it didn't changed that she had ignored Zangetsu after just _one_ lousy attempt...

Zanpakuto weren't tools, they're all alive and have names, they have emotions, and still... _What a load of bull. _She had just dismissed Zangetsu just as that Kenpachi did to his Zanpakuto; Ichigo was disgusted by herself. She had been no different from that bastard.

The albino spun the sword over his head and sent it flying again, Ichigo knocking Zangetsu off to one side. The albino laughed and attacked once more, grinning wider when Ichigo managed to dodge the first swing, duck underneath a second strike, but losing a bit of balance in the third constitutive strike.

The albino smirked when he saw Ichigo's eyes and the look in them. He knew his point was across her, it just fell to his other self to fix and accept those faults. He couldn't wait for when she realized he wasn't an illusion. **"Well now, it's about time to end this. I'm going to show you the _real_ way to use Zangetsu, since you'll probably never figure it out yourself to save your life!" **With one final snicker, the albino held Zangetsu out, a grin on his face as he launched himself at Ichigo, whose face was half hidden behind a curtain of orange bangs.

She held out the Asauchi in a blocking position, preparing to clash against the albino; faintly, Ichigo wondered if Zangetsu would have talked to her sooner, met with her aside from death or life situations, if she tried harder. Ichigo acknowledge it, because as she held the Asauchi, she now she knew the difference between Rukia giving her power and Zangetsu giving her his power.

Rukia lend Ichigo her powers, but they were shattered when that Byakuya-teme stabbed her; Zangetsu was Ichigo's real power, because while Rukia gave her strength it wasn't Ichigo's, Rukia had unknowingly unlocked Ichigo's own Shinigami powers in the night Rukia partially turned Ichigo into a Shinigami.

Zangetsu was the one who gave her the power to protect her family and friends, Rukia had just awoken him, but in the end Zangetsu was the one who gave her strength.

'_It would have been nice to know about Zangetsu, who despite everything, lend me strength to protect my friends and family...'_

There was a bright flash of light as sparks flew, both albino and orangette freezing and staring at the swords they held.

The albino was now holding the Asauchi, Ichigo was holding Zangetsu now.

The orange-haired girl couldn't believe it. _'You're giving me... another chance?'_ thought Ichigo, surprised and stunned as she stared behind the albino and right at Zangetsu.

As if he had heard her thoughts, Zangetsu nodded slowly as he closed his eyes, proceeding to pull Ichigo out of the inner world; but, before she went back to her fight, he heard a murmur he was sure wasn't meant to be heard.

_'Arigato, Zangetsu-ossan.'_

* * *

Kenpachi paused in his steps when he heard a heartbeat and a faint pulse of reiatsu, and he glanced back in surprise.

* * *

**"So she left..."** mumbled the albino, frowning as he stared down at the broken Asauchi in his hands. **"Yare, yare... Well, that was good enough, right?"** asked the albino as he glanced at the only other company he had in this world.

He had no name, no identity, no memories that were genuinely _his_ because he only came to existence some weeks ago; Ichigo's memories didn't count because they weren't his own.

Once upon a time, he and Ichigo were the same soul, they had been darkness and light and had not separate minds to speak of, no separate identities; they had been one, not like the two in one that Zangetsu-san and Ichigo were and still are, but literally **one**. Back then, the Light had been dominant, having a mind and receiving the name "Ichigo"; the darkness remained unnamed, mindless (literally), genderless _(the conscience is genderless, the body Darkness and Light inhabited was male, but Darkness didn't know that because he didn't have a mind to use for thinking)_ and just straying in "Ichigo's" conscience as their dark side. However, during the Shattered Shaft Lesson, the Darkness separated itself from the Light, receiving a mind and conscience of its own AKA himself; and thus he had been 'born'.

The Darkness of the human known as "Kurosaki Ichigo" was turned into a Hollow, while the Light turned into a Shinigami as Urahara Kisuke planned. The Darkness was still nameless while the Light continued on as the same, even when an accident occurred in the process of being separated from her dark counterpart.

He may have been Ichigo, but he wasn't Ichigo completely; just like how Zangetsu-san was Ichigo but not Ichigo herself. He had his own mind, his own heart_ (did he?)_, his own feelings, and most importantly his _instincts_.

His existence was known only to Zangetsu and maybe Ichigo, but she didn't know _what_ or _who_ he was.

His existence was probably forbidden, probably considered a sin in itself by those assholes from Shitty Society.

His existence was accidental, and that fact enraged him as much as it pleasured him.

However, despite knowing how he had been 'born', he or Zangetsu-san didn't know the circumstances of Ichigo's gender problem.

By the time he had been 'born' he was no longer "Ichigo" per say, he had already been separated from Ichigo so he had been saved from being "eaten". Thus only Ichigo received the end of the stick when the Chain screwed itself and changed Ichigo into a girl; shortly put, it could be said they had been two people to begin with, but he hadn't lost his manliness while Ichigo lost her jewels and any trait that defined her as a man. Some part of him found it sad as much as he found it hilarious.

Either that or Ichigo's manliness literally went to shit while his remained intact due to being already separated. It was as if their male anatomy had split in two during the Shattered Shaft, but Ichigo's side got stuck smack dab in the middle of the Chain of Fate and thus it was destroyed, the Hollow having been saved by a touch of breath; anyhow, this could mean that he was all that was left of their manliness... physically speaking of course.

Che! Or so that had been the info he managed to gleam from that old man. He sure as shit didn't want to think about his Aibou changing, because as far as he knows, ever since he got out of that fucking hole _(Shattered something, he forgot)_, Ichigo had always been a girly and not some dude; while he found the fact hilarious, it didn't mean he had to accept it. He would have thought Zangetsu-san had gone senile for saying Ichigo had once been a boy, if it hadn't been for his appearance and memories of Ichigo; albeit they weren't pretty ones but who cared?

"Yes. Sorry for calling you out here like this."

**"Don't worry 'bout that."** The albino tossed away the broken blade, turning to face Zangetsu with a look. **"Held back as she was, she is still the Queen of this world. It'd bad for me as much as it is to you if she lost, so of course I'd help."** As he had told her already, Ichigo had been limited by her constant denial to her current self; maybe after this she would accept it and get stronger. He was itching for freedom and he really didn't want to die in a fight when he obtained that freedom, so Ichigo better get strong; for her sake as much as it was for him and Zangetsu-san. If she died then they would die too, after all. **"Okay then, we're done, right? Let me go back already."**

He had only been 'born' some weeks ago, thus he could still be considered somewhat of a 'newborn', and even if he loathed to admit it he was still not strong enough; he still had some ways to go before he could exist _and_ still have strength to fight and win. And it wasn't like Zangetsu-san could kill him either considering that he was part of Ichigo, therefore if Zangetsu-san killed him he would be killing part of Ichigo too.

He wasn't strong enough to live or make himself _completely_ known yet, but he was almost there.

After all, he was part of Ichigo, and he would be damned if the damn shrimp got stronger while he stayed in the same bucket; it was in his nature to get strong anyway.

Zangetsu nodded. "Very well."

The albino began dissolving from bottom to top, pieces of fluttering black flying towards Zangetsu and heading back into the black cloak of darkness. **"She's strong, Zangetsu-san."** The albino noted aloud as his torso dissolved. **"Raise her well... Because someday that power's gonna be mine, too."**

Zangetsu knew what he meant by that.

* * *

Despite having different thoughts, different desires and different hearts; the three of them were still the same soul, numerous pieces in one and living together for the rest of their existences.

Ichigo, Zangetsu and the other nameless habitant of this world.

A Hollow, a Zanpakuto, and a Human.

One considered a monster, one called a spirit of the dead, and the last one a seemingly weak mortal.

Two of them enemies by _nature_, one that eats souls and humans alike, while the other is used to protect them. The only thing that stood between them was, ironically, the thing their races naturally fought for; either to destroy or to protect depended on themselves.

Together, they were a Hollow and Zanpakuto fighting for the Human in which they were trapped within.

One could only wonder about Kami's twisted sense of humour.

* * *

"Ichigo, I hate the rain. Rain falls in this world, too." said Zangetsu as he tilted his head to look at the sky, glimpsing mixed colors of white, blue, golden and grey. "When your heart is in chaos, the sky becomes clouded. When you are sad, rain falls too terribly easy. Can you understand... the horror of being pelted by rain in this solitary world?" wondered Zangetsu.

Long ago, in the younger years of his wielder, the rain had begun falling and never stopped. He had been soaked, miserable and lonely as the rain drenched his form; Zangetsu could never remember anything more painful than the sensation of the ice-cold rain.

The first time he saw his wielder was the day the rain stopped, it had been confusing for Zangetsu but refreshing; though he did pause to silently enjoy the blue sky and the bright sun he hadn't seen in years, it didn't quell any resentment or pain.

Except that it didn't go as he had thought it would the first time he saw Kurosaki Ichigo with his own eyes; he hadn't been expecting the person he saw when his wielder's Shinigami powers were unlocked, hence granting him passage to see the outside world. When he saw Ichigo, he saw _familiar_ brown eyes, and in that instant Zangetsu knew that Ichigo had been as lonely as he had been in his own way, Zangetsu could feel across their newly opened connection that the boy had been enduring his own rain as well; and all the resentment he had felt for the boy had drained away, just like the rain in this world had been stopped.

Then came the battles, the feeling of his sealed form clenched tight in his wielder's hands as they killed Hollows, as they fought together albeit not really aware of each other in his master's case; but Zangetsu had been... _happy_ none the less. Any resentment he had towards Kurosaki Ichigo for what he had unknowingly put his Zanpakuto through all those silent, painful and lonely years had slowly but surely washed away until it disappeared completely.

To be wielded by his Shinigami _(or was it Human?)_, the feelings of their powers brushing against each other, the sensation of his master not being sad anymore, the rays of the sun he hadn't felt in a long time and the beautiful sky that stretched for miles — it had been the greatest joy Zangetsu had experienced ever since he was created from his master's soul.

But then, two Shinigami came and took Kuchiki Rukia away, and the rain fell down once more; and it was then that Zangetsu realized what the rain meant in this world. He did not get angry over the rain, did not mourn for the loss of the bright sun or the blue sky, did not despair over the pitter patter of ice-cold drops of water. This time, the rain was different from before; Zangetsu was different.

It had stopped a few days later, but greying clouds still appeared and disappeared in resonance to his master's conflicting emotions.

It was in one of the Lessons of Urahara Kisuke that rain fell slightly harder before disappearing once again. Zangetsu had felt something changing when he met his wielder face to face in the inner world, he had felt something different as his wielder called his name for the first time, and then he discovered the cause of his wielder's distress: Kurosaki Ichigo had changed in gender, changed from being a _master_ into a **mistress**, and Zangetsu couldn't deny that he had been shocked; though it didn't mean that he was 'rejecting' his wielder or anything. It was merely shock at the unexpected happenings, but Zangetsu knew that despite that, his wielder was still his wielder.

A Zanpakuto and a Shinigami bond was special, very few things _(if any)_ could even dare shake their bonds; and Zangetsu just knew that, as his wielder held his released form and the familiarity he felt at being held by his wielder, Ichigo was still Ichigo.

But Zangetsu saw how she still detested her current situation even if she forced herself to cope and push it to the back of her mind. Zangetsu saw her strength being held back as long as she rejected that part of herself. Zangetsu saw how even their connection was being blocked by her due to her dislike for her situation. Zangetsu saw how Ichigo's life was endangered as long as she didn't use his full potential. And Zangetsu saw her hidden but strong _fear_; fear at becoming weak, at being unable to protect the people she so cared about, at being abandoned by her friends and family,_ at being **alone** in the rain_.

Across their bonds, Zangetsu could feel that the change wasn't something to brush off; it was permanent whether his wielder liked it or not.

Essentially, Zangetsu was a part of Ichigo's soul, born at the same time as she did and forever bound to her with a bond only those with Zanpakuto could understand. Zangetsu was Ichigo and Ichigo was Zangetsu, they were of the same soul but they had different consciences, different feelings and different hearts. Ichigo wanted to protect her friends and family but Zangetsu had no such feelings, he had no emotional attachments to those humans; it just proved that while they were one being, that they had different hearts. But one of the few things that they agreed was that the rain was something to be hated; Ichigo and Zangetsu hated the rain for it represented their nightmares, the darkness of their world and the sacrifices of a rainy night.

Zangetsu hated the rain and the clarifying loneliness that it brought. He had no one to talk to, the Hollow constantly resided inside him since the Hollow was just a 'newborn'; bluntly speaking, Zangetsu was alone in this world. No matter how much he wished for something alive, something free and something to keep away the loneliness, there wasn't anything and Zangetsu despised the utter silence for the loneliness that it brought. Although, Zangetsu had been surprised and admittedly pleased to note that his wielder had tried to talk to him despite not knowing Jinzen or assured of his existence.

Zangetsu had felt hope, hope at not being alone, and he had reached towards his wielder.

But Ichigo didn't accept a part of herself, therefore she hadn't accepted a part of Zangetsu for he was Ichigo too. Her reiatsu instinctively complied to her unconscious wishes and so her capabilities were restrained and incomplete, her access to his power was diminished and their connection was blocked, no way to talk to her until he could forcefully pull her in her inner world; to which he had almost succeeded the night after Ichigo's battle with Abarai Renji but failed when the attempted connection was forcibly disrupted.

Zangetsu was grateful yet he disliked Urahara Kisuke. Perhaps, if Urahara Kisuke hadn't forced his wielder to regain her powers through that method, she may have been able to listen to him by now; it was wishful thinking but Zangetsu wanted someone to hear his voice. But if Urahara hadn't forced his wielder through that method, would she still have tried to speak to him and give him hope in a world without loneliness and which he could actively help stop the rain? Zangetsu wasn't sure which he prefered, but he knew that he wanted his wielder to hear his voice simply because he couldn't stand the rain all by himself anymore, and he knew that Ichigo hated being alone in the rain too.

"If only to stop that rain, I will lend you **any** strength. If you trust in me, I will let no rain fall in this world." spoke Zangetsu resolutely.

Ever since his 'birth', Zangetsu had been alone in this world; ever since her mother had died, Ichigo had distanced herself from others.

People made attempts at understanding Ichigo but they simply couldn't see or discover her darkest secrets, her darkest fears or crushed dreams and hopes. No one could meet Zangetsu in his world, no one knew that he had existed in all of his wielder's 15 years of life until he had made himself clear in that lesson of Urahara Kisuke; and even then his existence was vague.

Eventually, it began to rain, both in the inner world and the heart; rain began plaguing Ichigo and Zangetsu in their own way, it drenched them cold and sapped away any light and hope.

Zangetsu and Ichigo were both lonely, and while the latter didn't know she felt lonely, the former acknowledge that both his wielder and himself were alone. They needed someone who could drive away their loneliness, someone to help stop the rain Kuchiki Rukia may have had a hand in it, but it wasn't enough. Kuchiki Rukia may be a dear person to his wielder, but it would never compare to the bond between Zangetsu and Ichigo; just like Kuchiki Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki's bond, in which they both helped each other stop the snow.

And this time, Zangetsu knew how to stop the rain.

"Ichigo, trust me. You are not fighting alone."

This time, he wouldn't stand by and let the rain fall.

Zangetsu looked away from the sky, but not before glimpsing the greying clouds disappearing.

The sky was blue and clear once again.

* * *

_"Ichigo, trust me. You are not fighting alone."_

Ichigo didn't know if she was supposed to hear that, but she decided to do that and knew Zangetsu-ossan's words were true as soon as she returned to the real word; she immediately lashed out at Kenpachi with fast strikes, cutting him in multiple places before he could move in his surprise and shock since she had_ stopped breathing_ and 'revived'.

In her fights against Ikkaku and Renji, she had to divide her attention between pouring reiatsu into Zangetsu and then attack or block, hence when she fired out that freaky attack she didn't move or attack like with her Chikara _(means "strength")_ or Senmei-ka _(means "sharpen"_) because it required immense concentration in condensing her reiatsu; and it was even difficult to do the reiatsu tricks and fight at the same time. The limited time to practice didn't help despite Getaboshi's questionable training methods.

And yes, Ichigo knew how sucky the names were but they were easy to remember; and she wasn't exactly imaginative in giving names.

But that aside, using the two tricks give her an advantage as well as a disadvantage in battle; for while they strengthened or sharpened Zangetsu's strikes, her speed and overall fighting prowess was lowered due to dividing her focus between paying attention to the reiatsu output and fighting to keep her head attached to her shoulders and attacking at the same time; it was a miracle at all that she could do those things. But one has to memorize them after accidentally using them many times... or not so accidentally in Senmei-ka's place; but Ichigo might as well memorize it.

**(A/N: Description of the lame-named techniques are on the bottom; I was irritated by having to sort through my brain and having them named made things easier)**

But this time, Zangetsu was helping her.

Ichigo could feel that she didn't have to focus on molding the reiatsu or even pay a brief attention in shoving reiatsu into Zangetsu; Ichigo could feel somethi—someone pulling gently at something inside her, she could feel something beneath the surface of Zangetsu's blade shifting, she could feel something inside her twisting giddily; Ichigo attacked and there was Senmei-ka without herself having to pay half-focus _(which was lethal, Ichigo decided, in a battle like this; she had to give all her focus or she would be croaking in her blood)_ on doing it.

Ichigo knew it was Zangetsu's doing, he just had to be; and it was_ amazing_. Ichigo marveled the way she could fully go out without having to divide her attention, she didn't have to concentrate on her reiatsu anymore, she just had to _trust_ and_ let _Zangetsu do his thing and she just had to fight; and it was completely amazing now that she_ felt_ the reiatsu boiling, shrinking, moving and shifting beneath Zangetsu's blade. It felt so weird yet so... exhilarating.

Ichigo had the feeling that Zangetsu wouldn't have been able to help her like this if she hadn't been 'willing' AKA didn't know of him; if she hadn't known it was Zangetsu she would have tried to fight against the unfamiliar and strangely pleasant feelings.

. . . The words of that strange albino may have some truth in them.

The rush of the battle, the feeling of Zangetsu's hilt in her hands, the feeling of her reiatsu shifting beneath the blade, the fact that she _knew_ she wasn't alone in this fight; everything was more amazing than the other times she had fought with Zangetsu. Ichigo loved it; the feeling of** knowing** Zangetsu was alive and fighting with her, it was strangely... comforting.

Now, if only the battle with this Kenpachi dude would end.

While she wasn't unscathed from their scuff, as the battle progressed, regardless of how many cuts he had, how many wounds he had, how many of his blood was spilled; Kenpachi just laughed as if it was a joke and continued charging with a grin that continued to grow the more wounds he or Ichigo received and the more blood was spilled.

How long has it been since he last fought it to a draw? Kenpachi wondered with a crazed grin. Every pansy he met couldn't even stand past his reiatsu, couldn't even dodge or block his lazy swings, couldn't even dream to match him; but here, a mere Ryoka that was not even out of that academy of weaklings, was fighting him to a draw! No, it wasn't just a draw, it may have been insignificant but Ichigo stood slightly above him in this battle; and Kenpachi loved it. He loved the way Ichigo shrugged off and surpassed his current and growing reiatsu. He loved the way Ichigo could block and counter his full-hearted attacks. He loved the way she made him bleed; cut him or maimed him.

Kenpachi loved it all! He loved the pain, blood and the sounds of his sword clashing against the Ryoka's Zanpakuto.

This was a sensation he missed all these months and weeks and days and hours and practically every minute of the day. The feeling and rush of fighting against an opponent equal or greater in strength, always wondering if you or them would die the next second and it was so thrilling for Zaraki Kenpachi to feel such things. The rush of fighting to keep your head on your shoulders, the adrenaline of blocking strikes that could and would end your life, the sheer excitement that he felt when clashing blades with another worthy opponent; Kenpachi loved those feelings and it was obvious by the way he cackled like a mad man.

Zaraki Kenpachi was a man who lived for battles, loved fighting and practically flourished under the blood of his victims and even his own blood; no amount of gore, blood or death could make him flinch for he always caused those things, he was someone who fought 'till his last breath. Not many could hope to even give him a scratch let alone defeat him; there is a reason he hasn't died from all those battles against the strong opponents he hunted after all.

One thing many could agree on, was that Zaraki Kenpachi was a demon-possessed man whenever he fought. Just as his name stated, many considered Kenpachi immortal because he wouldn't die from any type of wound, no matter how much blood he lost he just bore through it with a gleeful grin; which totally convinced anyone that he was more of a demon than a Shinigami or a soul.

Blood splattered the floor as Ichigo slashed Kenpachi's chest, giving him a X-wound that oozed blood; just another wound amidst the numerous others that littered his body, and Kenpachi just laughed in joy.

"Damn..." Ichigo grimaced as she leaned back to avoid the tip of a sword, back-flipping out of the danger zone and holding Zangetsu out in preparation of another counter-attack; nothing came but Ichigo didn't let her guard down.

How much time did she spend fighting here? It was unknown, but Ichigo knew one thing. "I'm gonna have to finish this now..."

"'Finish this now'?" Kenpachi gave a sinister and slightly unhinged chuckle. "I can't have that. It's been a long time since I had... SO MUCH FUN!" Waves of wild, golden reiatsu erupted around Kenpachi as he laughed insanely, lunging towards Ichigo and leaning away just enough so that the Ryoka's sword wouldn't stab his head; but he received a gash starting from nose to the side of his face, blood flowing out as he cackled and brought down his sword once again and again and again. Kenpachi laughed insanely all the way, paying no mind to any wounds he received and just focusing on the joy and thrill this battle gave him.

Whether it was killing or be killed, whether it was surviving or dying, whether it was cut or be cut; everything was just a way to kill time and Kenpachi enjoyed—_loved_ the blood, the violence and the death.

"Right now, let's enjoy this fight, ICHIGO!"

Once again, Ichigo could feel Zangetsu's help when she had to bring an instantly-Chikara-enchanced sword to block each strike that bore superior strength to her natural _(as a girl; when all this shit finishes she will have to train a lot...) _strength. She very glad she had Zangetsu's help because she was unsure if she could control her reiatsu and fight against the more-vicious-than-before attacks at the same time; Ichigo knew she would have been screwed thrice times over otherwise and she mentally thanked the old man, though she didn't know if he heard it _(he was in her mind, right? He could have heard for all she knew)_.

But Ichigo was now in duress so she would think later.

_How come this guy wouldn't go down?_ Ichigo was sure that one couldn't stay conscious after loosing that much blood, even Ikkaku went down and Kenpachi had more wounds than him! What was it with Fate and Karma wanting to make her life as shitty as possible? This was ridiculous and outrageous; of all people who had to hunt her down why did it just had to be some battle-loving maniac? At least Ikkaku knew when to kick the bucket, but this guy... Kenpachi was crazy, not counting his unnatural love for fights and freakishly absent fear of death.

And Ichigo made it known to the world. "Something's wrong with you! You're crazy!" Ichigo yelled at Kenpachi. "You love fighting that much!? Ain't you scared of gettin' cut or dying!?"

"I'm crazy?" repeated Kenpachi in amusement as if it was the joke of the year. "YOU'RE THE CRAZY ONE! How can you be that strong and not love fighting!?" He couldn't understand this Ryoka, Kenpachi could see she wasn't having fun with this fight, which was bizarre. Zaraki Kenpachi was strong and he came from the worst districts of Rukongai, his reiatsu crushed any weaklings and his strength, speed, and overall personality obtained in that district didn't give him much to do. Everything was boring, so Kenpachi does the only thing knew to fend off the boredom: Fight, Kill and Spill Blood.

It was inevitable, strong people don't have anything to do because the weak always shy away, they always isolate the strong ones; even the captains have minimal companions that only stick either through loyalty, friendship or sheer stupidity mixed with stubbornness. To Kenpachi, he only had killing people and fighting opponents to kill boredom with, there was so much Yachiru could do to entertain him; and he was born in a lawless District, it was scarred into his nature to kill from the beginning.

Strong people always resolute to either succumb to boredom or fight to get the reiatsu stressing their loneliness; this Ryoka in front of Kenpachi had a massive amount of Reiatsu and Reiryoku, therefore it was confusing for Kenpachi that she didn't want to fight. The Ryoka confused him as much as her fighting prowess excited him.

She wasn't like that Kuchiki-hime from the 6th Division or the pansy captain of the 9th Division, she wasn't someone who freakishly adored peace like that sick'o the 13th Division; but she could still fight fiercely despite _not_ having fun or love in the battles. Kenpachi had only met few types of people, and the Ryoka in front of him was neither from the battle-loving type, stick-with-their-ass type or the weak pansy type; this Ryoka was an entirely new 'specie' to Zaraki Kenpachi.

Just thinking about those things hurt his head so he just shrugged those thoughts off; this fight opened the door to many questions but he was willing to forget about them for the moment. He wanted to enjoy this fight to the fullest!

Kenpachi grinned crazily. "Come on, have fun! Revel in death and pain! Isn't that the cost of fun!?"

Ichigo stared at Kenpachi with wide eyes, looking at the giant man as if he had lost his marbles.

* * *

_**(4th Division's Barracks)**_

Having healed somewhat since his fight and now wearing the standard white robe patients from the 4th Division wore, Ikkaku sighed as he sat on the floor, faintly hearing crashing sounds and some type of commotion occurring in the far away. The door behind him slid open and someone spoke up.

"Is something happening?"

Ikkaku looked behind him in boredom, seeing Yumichika in the same white robe . . . and an afro.

"..."

"Pfft...! Bwahahahahahahaha!" Ikkaku lost it and exploded in laughter, sputtering incoherent words. "W-Who—Who are you!? Yu-Yumichika?! HAHAHAHAHA! Don't tell me a fireworks explosion made it like that! GAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A tick mark appeared in Yumichika's head. "Don't laugh!" Yumichika yelled at the laughing man, and he scowled. "Fine! I'll put this on!" He huffed and put on a wig that resembled his hair before it became a bird nest. Yumichika looked in the direction where he could also hear all kinds of commotion and sounds, and he asked. "What is it?"

Ikkaku stiffed his laughs, smiling slightly as he looked in the direction of the bellowing sounds. "I was thinkin', seems like Taicho is havin' fun."

Curious and intrigued, Yumichika put his hands behind his ears in an attempt to hear better, and he could distinguish that the sounds were the clashing of swords with other things crumbling; he didn't doubt that it was his captain. "You're right. Who's his opponent? This guy's strength is ridiculous..." Anyone was if they could go so long battling against his captain.

"Heh." Ikkaku smirked. "The one who's fighting Taicho is a girl."

Yumichika balked in shock. "Are you for real?"

Ikkaku snickered. "Yup! You met her already; that Ryoka."

Yumichika racked his brain for any girl Ryoka he had met, only to find the orange... haired... Yumichika's eyes widened in shock. "Are you telling me that girl with the adorable face is fighting Taicho!?" Yumichika looked horrified. She had an adorable face, a fire not seen in many women and very beautiful hair; Yumichika paled at the thought of any roughness tainting that beauty... _permanently_.

"Jeez! You don't have to look so worried for her! She's still the enemy!"

"I know that! But her adorable face, her beautiful hair, her delicate figure...!"

"Whatever! Save that shit for another person, I don' wanna hear it. Also, don't let her looks fool you, Ichigo is hell'a strong." Ikkaku shook his head lightly. "That girl... She's got so strong I can barely recognize her as the same person I fought." Even from the 4th Division's barracks they could feel tremendous reiatsu spiking and clashing, one of which was their Captain's; while Ikkaku wasn't the best in this sort of thing, he managed to feel some of the reiatsu. And frankly speaking, the reiatsu Ikkaku managed to get ahold of was on a complete different level from the reiatsu of the shrimp he had fought, it was as if Ichigo was a different person.

"Ikkaku... I'm sensing that captain is on the defensive in this fight. Do you suppose he might actually…?" Yumichika wondered uneasily. He wouldn't doubt his Captain's strength, but it was unlike his Captain to take so long in defeating an opponent; it wasn't in the case of not being able to finish it quickly because Zaraki-taicho made sure to prolong his battles as long as he could, but his opponents usually died after fighting captain for so long, and to think that the fight was still on after so much time... Yumichika would mourn for the Ryoka's beauty, but this time he was hesitant to think that his Captain could defeat the orange-haired cutie easily; he had also sensed the reiatsu levels of the Ryoka and it wasn't something to scoff at.

"Bakayaro! There's no way he could lose!"

However, despite his words, Ikkaku couldn't banish the tiniest doubt prickling in the corner of his mind.

* * *

_**(Near the Senzaikyu Shishinro)**_

Ichigo leapt back after giving Kenpachi more gashes, warily eyeing the eye-patch wearing man as blood dripped to the ground; the number of wounds had increased but Kenpachi didn't kick the bucket yet. Ichigo was in disbelief. Her family owned a clinic which got patients here and there, and while Ichigo wasn't as skilled as Goat-face _(much as she hated to admit it, Goat-face was still the head of a clinic, even if he was a complete idiot)_ or Yuzu, even Ichigo knew that someone should have fallen unconscious from the amount of wounds Kenpachi had or even the blood he had lost.

This just enforced that Zaraki Kenpachi was a monster... a monster that was too stubborn to go get another life, _literally_. Ichigo seriously had other things to do and she would be damned if she stopped here.

"This is the best!" Kenpachi laughed breathlessly, overjoyed despite his harsh breathing, though whether it was from pain or joy it was unknown; Kenpachi just bore it all with a sadistic smile. "It's only a slight difference, but you're definitely higher; that I have no doubt of now..." An unhinged snicker. "How long has it been since I had such an uplifting feeling..."

_'His confidence is seriously creeping me out...'_ thought Ichigo, disturbed as she watched him warily. Faintly, Ichigo swore she heard something but it ended as soon as it began, so she resolved to think about it later; she had a fight now and she loved to have her head attached to her shoulders thankyou.

"With you..." Kenpachi began with a huge grin, a hand reaching up towards his eye-patch. "I think I can fight at full power!"

Kenpachi ripped off his eye-patch.

It was followed by a shockwave and a tower of golden reiatsu that reached the clouds.

* * *

On the rooftop, Yachiru nibbled on her thumb as she idly watched the ongoing battle.

"Kusajishi-fukutaicho-dono, I have an urgent message!" said an Onmitsukidō, a member of the Stealth Force, suddenly appearing behind her and kneeling respectfully.

"Mmhm, later." mumbled Yachiru.

"Huh?" The Onmitsukidō looked up, startled. "Forgive me, but this is a class 1 urgent message signed by both Yamamoto-soutaicho and Hitsugaya-taicho from the 10th Division."

"Mhmm, tell me later."

"T-That would be against by orders, Fukutaicho-dono! We were ordered to inform all Taicho and Fukutaicho as soon as possib—"

"Urusai!" A menacing pink reiatsu swirled around Yachiru as she turned to glare at the one who was planning to interrupt the play time of Ken-chan.

The Onmitsukido shrunk back in fright, looking at her fearfully as the pink reiatsu formed a hissing, angered, demonic cat.

"Ken-chan's fighting, so don't bother us!" Yachiru snarled, so very remincent of the form her reiatsu took.

Couldn't tablet-man (Onmitsukido) see that she was watching Ken-chan's fight? It's been a long time since she has seen Ken-chan so happy... It's been a long time since Ken-chan's playmate didn't lose really quick; Straberry-chan was very strong and pretty too, and Ken-chan seemed happy playing with Straberry-chan... Yachiru didn't want anyone to bother her or Ken-chan! They were mean people if they wanted to keep Ken-chan from his fun, and mean people deserved bad things; Ken-chan told her mean people deserved to be hit _(killed, cut, maimed; and other thinds that will go unsaid)_ if they wanted to steal away the fun. Yachiru wouldn't let anyone interrupt Ken-chan's play time because it would make Ken-chan very sad. She wouldn't let some tablet-man make Ken-chan sad when she hasn't seen Ken-chan so happy in a long time.

Yachiru didn't want to know what Shiro-chan or Gramps wanted to say now, she would listen to them later. Ken-chan was busy having fun, what mattered now was that Ken-chan was happy his playmate was still playing the game.

Small and cute she may be, but Yachiru wouldn't let anyone make Ken-chan sad by stopping his play time; not even Gramps, Shiro-chan or some weak tablet-man.

* * *

_**(Returning to the Battle)**_

_'What the—!? When he took off that eyepatch, his reiatsu suddenly jumped!'_ thought Ichigo in shock, tenser than ever as she addressed Kenpachi. "Hey! We have come this far and this happens... What's up with that right eye?"

"My eye? Heh! You've got it wrong!" Kenpachi chuckled, lifting his eyepatch to show the interior which had little vicious-looking mouths with sharp teeth. "This is something I had the Research and Development Bureau... a monster that endlessly consumes reiryoku. All the power that I've been feeding to this thing..." The golden reiatsu dissipated suddenly, and Kenpachi swiped his sword to the side.

The building in that direction was suddenly cut cleanly in half, and it came crumbling down.

". . . I'm gonna pour it all into beating you!" finished Kenpachi in a fit of sinister, menacing, glee; eyes glowing a demonic yellow.

Ichigo grimaced, jaw tightening as her hand clenched around Zangetsu's hilt.

Zangetsu materialized behind her, visible only to her eyes, towering over her small frame and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Can you hear it, Ichigo? The screaming of his sword." questioned Zangetsu as they both faced their mutual opponent.

". . . Yeah." Certainly, as she strained her ears and focused on the sword of Kenpachi, Ichigo could hear the anguished, tortured and despaired wailing vibrating from the chipped sword.

"He cannot hear it. When two who do not trust each other fight together, they only damage each other's power. One who believes in anything but his own power cannot understand that." murmured Zangetsu. "Ichigo, will you trust me?" Zangetsu had extended his hand for his wielder to take, for his wielder to grasp and to walk beside him as equals and partners. The question was if Ichigo would accept his hand, or turn away just like she had done to her family and friends.

Ichigo knew that, she felt that attempt that her friends and family had done, and Ichigo just knew that it came from Zangetsu-ossan; but would she take it? Ichigo didn't know, she felt unsure of it because the last time she had willingly grasped someone's hands they had ended up dead hours later; all because of her.

The orange-haired girl was hesitant; accepting his hand meant he was an equal, not as in a friendship or normal type of equal, but someone she wouldn't** have **to protect at every turn like her family or friends.

When her mother was still alive, Ichigo had been totally dependent on her, had relied on her times too much, hadn't need to worry about protecting her because her mind was too naïve and Ichigo didn't think she would need to; because with her mother the world was perfect without evil or monsters. But then, her mother had died and Ichigo made sure to not rely on another like she had done to her mother. Sure, she made close friends and bonded with her family, but she didn't stand beside them like she had stood with her mother, hadn't relied on them like she had with her mother, and Ichigo protected them where she failed with her mother.

Ichigo didn't grasped anyone's hand like she had done with her mother, because she wanted to protect them and she was afraid they would die if they held her hand.

A part of her wanted to turn away, to not rely on Zangetsu's help because last time she relied on a person they had died because they protected her; another part of her wanted to grasp that hand, wanted to have someone to fight alongside her and to accompany her and to walk beside her.

And maybe, just maybe, she would accept the hand this time, because it was Zangetsu-ossan here and not just anyone; Zangetsu-ossan dwelled inside her, lived inside her and fought alongside her, so it wasn't like it was making a difference, right? No, it made a difference because she would have to accept his hand, accept his help and willingly fight alongside him... Zangetsu-ossan wouldn't die on her, he wouldn't have to protect her but he would still fight alongside her. Technically speaking, Zangetsu-ossan had been beside her since she turned into a Shinigami, from the day she met Rukia to the day of the Shattered Shaft _(damned thing)_ to this day in Soul Society; Zangetsu-ossan had been with her since the very beginning...

Ichigo remembered the night after the fight with Renji, how something had urged her to go to Zangetsu, how something compelled her to talk or something; maybe it had been Zangetsu who hadn't been able to talk to her. Zangetsu had always helped her protect her family, he had always fought with her, he had always stood beside her when she didn't even know he existed.

Zangetsu's hand, which was still on her shoulder, gave a soft but strangely comforting squeeze.

Yes, maybe this time, just maybe, she would grasp another's hand and walk beside them, not behind or in front of them. Zangetsu-ossan would never be able to take her mother's place, no one could; but maybe, just maybe, he would turn as special as her mother and family and friends.

She wouldn't have to endure the rain alone anymore; and that was more than enough to convince her.

Ichigo's hand tightened around Zangetsu's hilt as her eyes glowed a silvery blue.

"Of course I will, Zangetsu-ossan. I'm be putting all my power into your hands. Use it how you wish. Lend me your help to win this fight."

Zangetsu's shaded eyes stared down at his wielder, feeling something shifting in their bond, and he dipped his head lightly. "Ah."

Silvery blue reiatsu exploded from Ichigo in a terrain of wind, whirling around her in wild, uncontrolled waves, matching Kenpachi's own reiatsu as they reached the sky.

Kenpachi grinned darkly. "Hoh? We've come this far and your reiatsu still goes up... Nice."

"It'll go up, yeah." replied Ichigo with surprisingly calm look. "I'm burrowing Zangetsu's power and fighting together with him." Her stare turned into a glare. "I'll never lose to you, who never tries to fight any way but alone."

"'Zangetsu'? That's the name of your Zanpakuto?" questioned Kenpachi. "Burrowing your Zanpakuto's power and fighting together with it... That's bullshit."

Ichigo's glare didn't falter, if anything, silvery blue orbs darkened.

"Zanpakuto are just tools for fighting. 'Fighting together with your Zanpakuto' is a line for sickly loser bitches who can't fight with their own damn skills!" Kenpachi readied his stance as he bared his sharp teeth. "It ain't a line for you and I, Ichigo!" His reiatsu increased, roaring for blood lust as it formed the image of a grinning skull.

_'I'm not the same as you.'_ Ichigo wanted to tell him, but she kept her mouth shut and readied herself. Her silvery blue reiatsu rose up to challenge the golden reiatsu, taking the form of a snarling skull mask.

"Here he comes, Ichigo. And the blood of your wound is near the limit of what I can stop." uttered Zangetsu. "We will decide this with blow."

Ichigo nodded silently.

With a yell, Kenpachi charged forward, raising his ragged, chipped, nameless sword high. Ichigo moved forward, her face expressionless, lifting Zangetsu and preparing to meet her opponent head on.

Their blades, reiatsu and wills clashed.

And the world around them bled into a mix of gold, blue, white, black and red.

* * *

Yachiru was shielding her face with her sleeve, and she peeked out, wide eyes watching as the buildings toppled over, the ground shook and the final outcome of Ken-chan's fight.

* * *

The fight was over.

Zangetsu was buried deeply in Kenpachi's shoulder, but the wild-looking man was still standing as though he hadn't noticed it. A faint look of surprise was the only indication that he felt any pain from the blow at all.

Kenpachi's sword was piercing Ichigo, blood flowering across the front of Ichigo's shihakusho. Blood not only flowed from the new wound a little underneath her breast, but from the old chest wound as well since Zangetsu reached his limit in stopping it according to him.

". . . Sorry, everyone."

With a strained jerk, Ichigo yanked herself from the still blade, gasping and coughing as she did so, collapsing to the ground. Her chest wound and the recent stab wound bled nonstop and formed a pool of blood underneath her.

Ichigo's bang hid her dull eyes. She was still conscious, but she was unable to do anything. Her body wouldn't move, she couldn't even breath properly. She was tired, too tired and in too much pain; she could only feel a humming from the Zanpakuto clenched loosely in her limp hand and hear the faint murmuring that resembled Zangetsu's voice. That was a lot of comfort when she registered Kenpachi still standing.

What Ichigo couldn't directly see, however, was that like a delayed action, blood burst from Kenpachi's recent wound in a large fountain, easily dwarfing the amount of blood Ichigo was loosing as it showered over their forms.

The shower of blood suddenly stopped.

Kenpachi smirked dryly, hefting his Zanpakuto over his severely wounded shoulder. "What are you apologizing for, idiot?" His Zanpakuto snapped in two. Kenpachi's grin was large as he breathlessly told the girl. "It's your victory, stupid."

The bells in his hair gave a faint jingle as Kenpachi dropped to the ground.

Ichigo stared blankly. She registered Kenpachi's words, but she couldn't bring herself to cheer when she was still unable to move or reach the Senzaikyu Shishinro, which was her motive, not defeating a battle maniac. . .

. . . Were those footsteps she heard? But who—

Shit! That pink haired girl!

Every instinct in Ichigo screamed at her to move, but her body still wouldn't respond. Faintly, the 'humming' of Zangetsu changed in beat too, her finger twitching an inch as she cursed her idiocy. How the heck could she have forgotten the girl!? Er, Yachiru, was it?

Crap. Now it was really over, any Shinigami were mobilized to kill any Ryoka, she couldn't even lift her head or hand, she was—

"Arigato!"

. . . Wait, what?

Ichigo could only lay there, unmoving and blank as she listened to the pink-haired brat.

Yachiru was bowing with a smile. "Thanks to you Berry-chan, Ken-chan had a fun fight." She straightened up with a bright, sunny and cheerful smile. "It's been a long time since I have seen Ken-chan having so much fun! Hontouni arigato!"

Her response was only a weak, numb, shocked and breathless gasp.

Yachiru smiled, turning to Kenpachi, and with strength no girl her age should have, lift the unconscious man onto her shoulders. Yachiru grinned at Ichigo again. "Strawberry-chan, if you can, don't die, 'kay? And if you can, play with Ken-chan again, 'kay? Onegai." Yachiru wanted to see Ken-chan happy, and Ken-chan seemed happy playing with Strawberry-chan, so Yachiru hoped Strawberry-chan wouldn't die so that Ken-chan could play with her again.

With that, she leapt away out of sight, taking Kenpachi with her.

If Ichigo could, she would have laughed. They were totally nuts, both Kenpachi and Yachiru...

Zangetsu gave a faint, different humming; as if partially agreeing with her.

Ichigo's eyelids dipped lower, eyes finally closing as she slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

**Sorry if the chapter is sucky. X.X Lol, is the way I am twisting the emotions too... wrong? Sorry if the battle scene is bad, or any OOC, ar anything wrong in this chap... X.X**

**Here is a warning: Hollow Ichigo will not have the same goal as CannonAnime... mostly, anyway. So those that are unsatisfied with this, well, sorry and feel free to leave if you love an Evil!HollowIchigo. And yes, I know I wrote Hollow Ichigo as a boy and I am aware of that; I just had the urge to poke fun at Ichigo's height and Hollow Ichigo seemed the most likely source to do it without being beat to a pulp, though I guess he is wary too... Hell hath no fury a woman's wrath and Hollow Ichigo has instincts to warm him lol. That being said, I decided that the relationship between the three (Zangetsu, Hollow Ichigo and Ichigo) is going to be somewhat different (or close; depends) from cannon, although events aren't gonna shift that far from cannon either... **

**Hollow Ichigo's name isn't "Darkness". I just wrote it to make a point of the Ying-Yang of Kurosaki Ichigo, two separate identities that unconsciously refer themselves as Light and Darkness when they were one.**

**Yeah. I decided to name the two/three unnamed techniques so far:  
**

**~Chikara (Strength):  
Ichigo pours Reiatsu into Zangetsu or her arms to make her attacks _stronger_. There is no additional sharpness, just strength. You saw how Kenpachi has reiatsu surrounding him, hence only condensed/sharpened reiatsu can cut him, so this trick is useless with the likes of Kenpachi AKA Hierro unless the reiatsu is monstrous considering how weak in the strength department (is it?) the Ichigo in this story is. ****This attack is pure strength added to the swing of Zangetsu and ect; there is no sharp edge or a way to fire off techniques like Getsuga Tenshou. _—More Reiatsu, Less Control—_**

**~Senmei-ka (Sharpen):  
Ichigo pours Reiatsu into Zangetsu and sharpens/condenses (depends on your view) it to make the edge of Zangetsu sharper, even being able to cut through Kenpachi reiatsu-covered skin. There is no increased strength in this attack aside from the original strength of the user, but I guess it doesn't matter to most Hierro-users since one could cut through it and maybe even armour (reiatsu or not, using this, Ichigo's blade would be _sharp_). _—Less Reiatsu, More Control (albeit strained and sketchy before Zangetsu offered his help)—_**

**~Kibarashi (Distraction):  
****Ichigo pours Reiatsu into Zangetsu. Kibarashi has more reiatsu and it is slightly controlled (AKA a mix of Senmei-ka and Chikara), but not as controlled/condensed as Senmei-ka or Getsuga Tenshou. There is enough control to shape the reiatsu into a crescent moon or wave, but not enough to make it stable in its course (hence the crackling) like the Getsuga Tenshou; you could even say that it has no power aside from the explosion. ****This is not an official technique, it's just a trick used for distraction and an uncontrolled, harmless, tremendously powered down version of the Getsuga Tenshou. This is seen used in Chapter 7 as a distraction AKA a crackling blue arc of energy. As the name suggests, this is merely a distraction technique for Ichigo since it is mostly 'harmless' (to someone like Kenpachi's level, for now). There are wide varieties of Kibarashi because they are just distractions, one distraction is not enough for a surprise after all; in fact, some distractions don't have to obligatorically involve Zangetsu since... er... Ichigo could just kick the family jewels, though whatever remaining male pride she has would stop her from doing so; Ganju aside. Ichigo doesn't even have the drive to call it with a name simply because it is just a distraction. I am just naming it because I want to make clear that it was a distraction. _—For this time, the distraction had more Reiatsu and more control, albeit both are not up to the level of Getsuga Tenshou. Furthermore, the result in not having enough control of the huge amount of reiatsu resulted in it being unstable and not harmful enough to the target—_**

**So far this is the information on Chikara, Senmei-ka and Kibarashi; feel free to ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my abilities. Yes, I know the names suck but please bear with it; I needed something simple so that Ichigo could remember it under stressful circumstances and it's not like she will shout out the name while pouring reiatsu. The names are so that Ichigo could refer them as so and they are 'important' cause Ichigo is... um... 'weak' per say, and it is often used by herself and thus it will be refered by their own names in her mind or when discussing it with someone.**

**Er... I wonder if it was a bit early to write out Zangetsu's thoughts? ...For some reason I really wanted to map out Zangetsu. Lol. Expect the relationship to be different from cannon 'cause for some reason I just like him. And sorry if he seems OOC, but I really haven't got enough data to form a character for Zangetsu; just that he is calm, lonely (or so I guess) and often strives to push Ichigo to the limits. If I have anything wrong please notice me.**

**Also, I have a question that's been bugging me, but are Zangetsu and Tensa Zangetsu the same spirit? Like, they are still one person (mind, heart, whatever), but Zangetsu just changes appearances when entering Bankai or Shikai. I have read several fics that state Zangetsu and Tensa Zangetsu are two different spirits, or how they are counter parts or just the same spirit but with different forms (just like how Hyourinmaru transforms into a dragon when entering Bankai, or how Zabimaru transforms when entering its own Bankai). After watching the episodes where Tensa Zangetsu appeared, and reading other fics, I got confused; it doesn't help that Tensa/Zangetsu doesn't appear a lot, therefore I can't seem to conclude anything even after searching Bleach Wiki.**

**Please review.  
TenraiTsukiyomi**


	9. Struggles

**Phantom Claire, Zeus'sSins, lala _(Anonymous)_, artfrogy _(Anonymous)_, Kleny GingerHead _(Anonymous; love your reviews lol)_, ironjaw, Shippuuryu ****_(Thankyou_ ****_telling me that about Zangetsu... even though I don't like it; seriously, it was a big turn off although very much appreciated or not depending on your POV), _**eragonfan117, TheBlackSeaReaper, ultima-owner, Dragonheart _(Anonymous)_, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark_ (I love you for reviewing from 1 - 8 XD Made my day and almost gave me a heart attack)_ and asredwer_ (really, thanks for the long review)_ for reviewing! :D The people who favorited and followed too. Thanks. And sorry for the delayed update, but with the exams and preparations to migrate for 2-3 days in an airplane... I'm busy despite not sounding like it alright. XC

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

* * *

**_~~Chapter 9. Struggles & Acceptance~~_**

* * *

When Abarai Renji first met Kurosaki Ichigo, the human boy, it was dislike upon first sight; some could see it as being irrational, but others could see it understandably. After all, Ichigo had been the one to jar Renji's steady goal in getting Rukia back by defeating Kuchiki Byakuya; all those tears and blood, all those wounds and harsh training, all those decades spent climbing up the food chain, and finally when he got to the seat of Fukutaichou...

His dream became nothing more than_ that_, a fleeting dream — all thanks to Ichigo, because Rukia was getting executed and Renji blamed Ichigo for it.

Renji loathed Kurosaki Ichigo with every fiber of his being. He hated Ichigo because he took Rukia's powers, hence initiating all this execution fiasco. He hated Ichigo because he was an ignorant human who butts into business none of his concern. He hated Ichigo because he shattered Renji's goal of getting Rukia back, of returning to the old times where they laughed despite the harsh conditions of being from one of the worst districts in Rukongai and before the Kuchiki Clan came. He hated Ichigo because he managed to get Rukia to smile and have such humans emotions, when Renji, the childhood friend who had known her for decades, had failed and lost the drive to do so. He hated Ichigo because he had the guts to save Rukia while Renji watched the seconds tick by.

But most of all, Renji hated Ichigo because the human boy reminded him how much he failed Rukia. The guilt, so heavy and a weakness in a quest which had no more meaning. The existence of Ichigo taunted Renji with guilt, because in the corner of his mind, Renji blamed himself for Rukia's execution because he encouraged Rukia to enter a stuck up Clan all those years ago. The existence of Ichigo taunted Renji with the guilt of not raising a protest against Rukia's execution, because he just sat there while Ichigo, someone who only knew Rukia for _a few weeks_, risked limb and life to save Rukia. The existence of Ichigo taunted Renji with the guilt and pain of wondering if he and Rukia had really drifted that afar to let her get executed without protest.

When Abarai Renji met the orange-haired Ryoka, a short girl who gave him a sense of déjà vu, he hadn't known what to think. At first, he had thought the girl was a Rogue Shinigami because she wore a Shihakusho, but he immediately banished that thought; the girl looked far too . . . human, to be a rogue Shinigami; besides, the girl seemed to have nil knowledge on Seireitei — even the studies of the Academy and a Rogue _couldn't_ survive without knowing that much. Subsequently, Renji ignored her huge Zanpakuto, it wasn't exactly impossible to see a Zanpakuto that big, even if wielded by a girl.

Renji didn't have a personal grudge against the group of Ryoka, his feud was with Ichigo, but he would fight anyone that remotely stopped him from setting the score; besides, he was in enough trouble by going off alone and pulling orders.

Then came the fight, and as he fought the nameless Ryoka, Renji found himself restless whenever he clashed blades with the girl, as if he was missing something; and he was sure it wasn't that the Ryoka may know Ichigo's location. He had released Zabimaru earlier than expected, but that wasn't the problem; something inside Renji was restless and he wanted to defeat the girl Ryoka. Not as in a normal and casual defeat, but an ultimate and personal defeat, as if her very existence triggered something unpleasant inside Renji.

It was not until the end of the battle, where he found himself severely wounded and slumped against a wall and unable to do anything other than look at the Ryoka, that he realized why he wanted to defeat the Ryoka. The orange-haired Ryoka was familiar, so familiar it hurt, because Renji could see Rukia overlapping the Ryoka.

Determined violet eyes instead of brown, black hair instead of orange, a beautiful white sword instead of the black and white cleaver-sword, and a cheeky smile instead of that grim scowl. It hurt and brought memories where Renji could only dream to return.

At first he didn't know why, but later he realized why he saw Rukia in a stranger. They were both fierce, tomboyish, amusingly short and willing to protect their friends; although Rukia was definitely not the type of the physical prowess. It irked Renji, it hurt a lot, and it added more guilt onto his shoulder; thus he found himself eagerly wanting to defeat the Ryoka so that he wouldn't see Rukia overlapping her anymore. He wanted the Ryoka to disappear because seeing her made him hallucinate Rukia standing in her stead, sometimes with those sad violet instead of the laughing and determined violet; the same sad eyes he saw when he encouraged her to enter the Kuchiki Clan.

Turns out it was all a failure. To the delirious and injured Renji, in the corner of his mind, he found it sad that he was defeated by someone who resembled_ both_ Rukia and the human boy he hated as much as he envied. And for a few seconds, Renji had basked in the failure that was him, before he broke down, his motive shattered.

Renji didn't want Rukia to die, he wanted her to live, he wanted them to return to the time where they laughed and enjoyed everything together. Thus he found himself swallowing his pride and begging the Ryoka girl to save Rukia, because a little chance was better than nothing.

Then came the bomb: The Ryoka girl said **_she_** was Kurosaki Ichigo.

That was_** rubbish**_.

Renji refused to believe that, he also refused to believe he had fainted over such a joke; it was blood loss! Blood loss, he told you!

And a human boy like Kurosaki Ichigo turning into a girl? Hah! What a joke! Renji bet that it was something to throw him off the track. Yep. There was no way that Ryoka was Ichigo. Renji knew he heard things, his hearing was messed with pain, that's why he heard wrong! Yeah! That's right! Kurosaki Ichigo was some human boy, not an orange-haired shorty who to mention was of the _opposite gender_. What he heard was a fluke, there was no way—

"Dammit, Renji! Are you listening you dolt!?"

"Man . . . How pathetic."

The annoyed yell and insults of his Zanpakuto spirit snapped him off the mind track, and Renji craned his neck so stare at the materialized form of Zabimaru, a white monkey with a snake as a tail.

Renji frowned at them. "Ain't you got something more comforting to say, Zabimaru?"

"We already recovered, Renji." spoke up the monkey, pupiless eyes staring down at the handcuffed Shinigami.

The snake huffed. "We want to fight that Zangetsu bastard again! So quit lying around and heal up, Renji."

"And you better get stronger." The monkey bit out, annoyed. "I can't believe we got beaten by a Human who only got Shinigami powers for some weeks! Kurosaki Ichigo won't win next time she crosses our path, even with that Zangetsu bastard by her side."

His brain came to a screeching halt. They said— But it was impossible. "W-Wait, Zabimaru." Renji croaked. "That brat... The orange-haired midget, she's really Kurosaki Ichigo?"

The monkey tilted his head curiously, nodding. "Yeah."

"Are you deaf or something?" The snake scoffed.

Renji looked as if he had swallowed a lemon, and he weakly asked. "Y-You mean— Kurosaki Ichigo, as in the human boy who stole Rukia's power? Or the Ryoka who beat us?"

"Both, Renji." replied the monkey, raising an eyebrow. "The human boy who you met in the Living World, the Ryoka who defeated you — despite the difference, they are the same person. Zangetsu was with the two, and I find it unlikely the old geezer would stray to another runt; plus, there's no way we could forget the reiatsu. Surely you noticed that the reiatsu of the Ryoka and the human boy are exactly the same? Even the best Kidou Master can't entirely change their reiatsu, and the girl had hers flaring all over the place."

"And don't say that so bluntly!" The snake snapped. "We will win next time. And it's not that surprising. She could have hidden her— Hah? What the..."

"Oi! Renji! Oi!" The monkey grimaced, looking annoyed. "Tch, we lost him. Was it really such a shock?"

"Pfft! What a pansy! He fainted!" The snake hissed in mirth.

* * *

With a tired groan, Ichigo cracked open her eyes, staring blankly at an unfamiliar ceiling.

_' . . . Zangetsu? Are you there?'_

Ichigo relaxed slightly when she felt that strangely familiar pulse from beside her, and a faint voice in her head. Presumably, that voice was Zangetsu since it sounded like him, and while his words were fuzzy this time around they were more comprehensible than before.

Giving her body a brief glance, she noticed that someone bandaged her wounds, clean bandages wrapping around her torso with her black-white Shihakusho untucked and flaring over her form. Thankfully, whoever healed her had some logic _(now a days Ichigo found few people with it)_ and clipped her Shihakusho together so that it resembled a feminine coat; and since it was untucked, the end was flaring around her waist and, as much as she loathed to admit it, thighs and almost reaching her knees. Ichigo would've rather die than publically admit she was short.

"So you are awake."

Ichigo looked to the side to see Yoruichi sitting beside her. "Yoruichi-san... So you are the one who saved me. Thanks." Ichigo thanked him.

"Not at all." Yoruichi waved it off. "Thank your own life force. Without it you would have never survived such serious wounds no matter what I did."

"Oh, yeah . . . I did get sliced up pretty good." muttered Ichigo as she stared at the black cat for a moment. Then, Ichigo's eyes widened in realization. Yoruichi bristled in shock when she lurched forward, only to double over and moan as blood bled through the bandaged around her torso.

"You fool! Why'n the heavens are you moving!? Don't you understand the extent of your injuries!?" Yoruichi snapped as Ichigo groaned painfully, clutching her torso.

"But Chad's in trouble." Ichigo managed to grunt out, and she winced as she tried to stand up. "I have to help h—"

"Calm down!" shouted Yoruichi in irritation, jumping on Ichigo's face with his paws landing on her eyes as he pushed her down forcefully. "Chad will be alright." He jumped off, leaving Ichigo to hold her face in pain. "Inoue and Ishida are alright too. Chad was lucky to fight the opponent he got. He sustained wounds, but he's alive. As for Inoue and Ishida, they've slyly avoided and are almost completely uninjured. SO be quiet and rest inside this barrier for a while."

"Okay..." Ichigo sighed, calming down and rubbing her eyes a bit.

"After all, half your organs had been crushed." said Yoruichi, nudging something over to her and propping it up with his paws. "If this hadn't been in your shirt, your torso would have been sliced clean in two. Fortunately for you, it also seemed to have absorbed much of the impact. Though, I was surprised you carried this thing around."

Blinking, Ichigo stared at the object in surprise; she dutifully ignored that she should have been dead with half her organs crushed. "I really had that?" The mentioned object was a skull-like mask that would have sent kiddies crying to their moms, with large cracks forming around the side where it had red stripes, the teeth stretching to form a pernanent snarl/grin.

Cat-like eyes narrowed, expression hardening. "You weren't carrying it around?"

"Well, actually, when I fought with Renji, it seemed like that thing saved me." Ichigo explained. "So I wanted to keep it as a good luck charm, but..."

_They were ready to go to the Senzaikyu Shishinro, with Ichigo taking an extra something, much to Hanataro's worry. "Ichigo-san, I think you should get rid of that thing." suggested Hanataro all of a sudden, looking anxious as he watched the orange-haired girl turn the Hollow-like mask here and there to see it from different angles._

_Ichigo slowed down her footsteps and looked at him in surprise. "Huh? Why? This thing saved me, didn't it? Besides, I was thinking on hanging onto it..."_

_Hanataro's eyes widened, and he rushed forward to grab the mask out of her grasps. _

_"Hey!"_

_Hanataro looked down at the mask, immediately feeling as if he was staring into the eyes of a Hollow; he suppressed another shudder. "Ichigo-san, I think we should get rid of this mask. It looks like a..." He hesitated and shook his head lightly. "Never mind. But this mask is still kind of creepy, and it just gives me a bad feeling..."_

_Ichigo frowned in confusion, approaching Hanataro. "Are you sure? Maybe it's just something you ate. Although the way it just appeared in my Shihakusho is strange, how can it be bad if it was protecting me? Plus, it looks a bit cool and I kinda wanna use it as a good luck charm..." Ichigo mused, reaching to take the mask back._

_Hanataro shook his head furiously, pulling away from Ichigo. "This thing is evil, Ichigo-san!" insisted Hanataro, shivering slightly when he felt as if someone was glaring at him. _

_By now, Ganju was already way ahead of them, and he stopped, raising an eyebrow in confusion as he watched Hanataro dodge and duck Ichigo's attempts to take back something. If it weren't for the annoyance and panic in their poses he would have found it amusing._

_"You don't know that!" Ichigo protested, trying to take back the mask. "It appeared in my robes, right? I have a right to decide whether I want to keep it or not; and I want to keep it!"_

_"No! I can't let you!" shouted Hanataro, panicking when he tripped. In a last-ditch attempt, Hanataro twisted and threw the mask as hard as he could, throwing it into the waters of the underground canal._

_Ichigo cried out in dismay, lunging forward to try to catch the object; but it was too late. She could only watch, appalled, as her should-have-been lucky charm disappeared below the surface of the murky water with a splash, sinking quickly to its questionable depths._

_"Hanataro! Why did you—?!"_

_"Hanataro! Ichigo! Hurry your asses up!" yelled Ganju, getting tired of waiting._

_Hanataro smiled nervously, scrambling to catch up. Despite making Ichigo-san angry, he was relieved he managed to get the mask away from her; anything remotely Hollow was dangerous, and he didn't want anything bad to befall Ichigo-san even though they were enemies. But despite that, he couldn't help but feel as if someone was planning his slow demise; it was creepy and scary, not to mention, unnerving._

_Ichigo sent Hanataro a look, and she sulked, secretly bidding farewell to her sinking good luck charm while she jogged up to the others. "I'm coming, Jeez." Suddenly, she stopped and looked around in confusion._

_"Oi! We haven't got the time to be dallying around! What's the ma—"_

_"Hey, Ganju, did you hear something?" asked Ichigo, bewildered and scratching her cheek while flickering her eyes around._

_Ganju snorted. "Must be your imagination. Hurry up goddamnit!_

_"Right..." mumbled Ichigo._

_Yet the sounds of faint, bird-like screeches continued to ring through her head in an echoing wave._

_Yep. Maybe she was hallucinating that time where she swore Goat-face killed some animals with his . . . singing. Her mind sure liked to conjure morbid things... Although the sound of the screeches wasn't as tortured as those poor animals, if anything, the sounds seemed . . . **enraged**._

_Yes, maybe it was her imagination. No need to think deeply on it._

"And that was that: Hanataro threw it in the sewers and I watched it sink like a stone in the waterway." Ichigo grumbled, unknowingly pouting.

Yoruichi's pupils dilated, and he slowly turned to Ichigo with a unreadeable look.

The orange-haired girl saw the unreadable expression in the cat's face, drawing a conclusion and hastily explaining, "Hanataro is a guy from the 4th Division. Even though he's the enemy, he is a good guy. He even healed the wounds I got from Renji."

"..."

Ichigo dropped the matter and turned her attention to the mask, finding it irritating that she had to strain a bit to close the distance and pick it up; cat or not, if Yoruichi-san commented on her short reach he was dead meat. Anyhow, Ichigo raised the mask above her head, tilting it curiously and examining it. It could be her imagination, but Ichigo swore that the mask looked different from the one Hanataro threw away; which still begged to answer a question. "Anyway, I don't know how it came back, or how it even got in my robes in the first place."

"Let me hold on to that." Yoruichi ordered suddenly, his voice stiff and expression unreadable.

The orangette blinked, glancing over at the black cat. "Eh? What for? You said so yourself, this thing saved my life. I was lucky it came back, maybe I should keep—"

"Hand it over!" Yoruichi growled, baring his fangs with a dark hiss. "I will not permit back talk." To accent his hard statement, a burst of reiatsu crashed down on them briefly.

Ichigo gulped, slowly lowering the mask to the ground with a lot of hesitation. "Y-Yes, sir, please keep it as you see fit..."

_'I'm sure it couldn't be... But it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side...'_ thought Yoruichi, contemplatively staring down at the damaged mask. Yoruichi vowed Kisuke would get scratched up very, very badly if he withheld anything of importance; along with barring any _special activity_ for 3 weeks. It would be a pain for Yoruichi too, but also worth when the man finally snapped; it was a win-win situation for Yoruichi.

_'I never thought cats could be scary until I met Yoruichi-san...'_ thought Ichigo with a sweatdrop. Ichigo looked at Yoruichi and changed the subject. "But you are really amazing, Yoruichi-san."

"What do you mean?"

"Carrying me here with such a small body..."

"Oh, that." muttered Yoruichi as he looked to the side. "'Twas nothing. If I return to my original form, such a task is a mere child's play for me."

"Ah, I see. Your original form, huh." Ichigo nodded, then it hit home. Eyes wide, she craned her neck to stare at the cat. "Original form?" repeated Ichigo, dumbfounded.

"Ah. That's right. Come to think of it, I haven't shown any of you, have I?" Yoruichi felt a smirk tugging about his lips as he briskly turned around. "Very well. After coming this far, there is no point in hiding it." Ichigo blinked in confusion, watching Yoruichi-san walk away a few feet before he turned around. "I shall show you my _true_ form." His eyes started to glow as smoke mysteriously drifted in.

Ichigo's eyes widened, slowly sitting up and gaping; unconsciously, she reached to the side to grasp Zangetsu's hilt with some strain, and dragged it closer as she watched the scene before her.

A naturally bended back slowly stretched and straightened, purple hair cascading down the figure's back. Paws turned into hands, limbs stretched and bones popped into place, and a tail disappeared. Everything else was obscured by smoke, but the figure was clear to Ichigo and she could only gape in shock, a trembling ringer pointing shakily at the dark-skinned, golden-eyed, purple-haired, slender and very much** naked** woman in front of her. "A... a woman!?" stammered Ichigo.

"I can see you're completely shocked." Yoruichi smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. Unfortunately, that's when the blissful smoke decided to dissipate, giving the horrified Ichigo a clear view of Yoruichi in her birthday suit. "Can't be helped. You most likely convince yourself I was a man due to the way I speak."

Ichigo stammered incoherently, a trembling finger still pointing shakily as the amused Yoruichi walked closer to her, body exposed and not embarrassed at all.

"No matter how many times I reveal my true nature like this, it's always an amusing experience." Yoruichi grinned slyly. "Everyone just shows a stupefied expression of shock."

"B-B-But... weren't you a cat..."

"Cats can't talk. It's common sense."

Ichigo hung her head. Common sense, huh? It seemed to have no meaning or place in her dictionary anymore.

"Alright, that's enough shock for now." Yoruichi declared, squatting down. Ichigo stared at her, and accidentally got a view of her... ahem... _down_ part; blood rushed into her face as Ichigo reddened like a tomato. Yoruichi seemed oblivious to it, and she held up an artifact. "First of all, this object—"

Ichigo exploded. "**_CLOTHES_**! PUT ON SOME DAMN CLOTHES!"

Grinning sheepishly, Yoruichi went to find some clothes. "Yah, forgive me, forgive me. I haven't worn clothes in ages, so it just..." Yoruichi finished pulling a black sweater over her head, flipping her hair out of the black material, and she turned to the still flustered Ichigo who refused to look at her. "But you, you're much more innocent than you look. Was this your first time seeing a woman's body? Eh?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo hissed, arms crossed over her chest and still a bit red.

"Want a peek?" Yoruichi asked slyly. "People your age would kill to see this young, firm female skin; don't wanna give it a try? Oops, did you already do that with your body...?"

"None of your business!" Ichigo shrieked, this time turning to face her. Yoruichi grinned, flashing her by lifting the bottom of her sweater; Ichigo choked in her spit and reddened, turning away so quickly her wounds acted from her movements, making her squirm and groan in pain.

"Are you alright?" Yoruichi asked casually. "Well, it's no wonder your wounds opened up with you screaming so much. Besides, it was just a joke."

"SHUT UP! DO TAKE IN MIND THAT I WAS A BOY! WHY DON'T YOU PUT ON SOME UNDERWEAR!? AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PUT ON BUTTOMS FIRST! —AH! OW! ARGH!"

Apparently having enough fun teasing her, Yoruichi finished dressing up. "Clothes are so confining..." she complained, but her playful inner cat reared its head when she saw Ichigo's eyes darting away from her despite being dressed. "Why so embarrassed, Ichigo? You're a girl, surely you have explored your body for fun."

"Of course I didn't! Why the heck should I, huh!? At best it's just for _necessities only_ or just a towel when I bath!" Ichigo roared, and she twitched when she felt a pulse coming from Zangetsu; was that old man... _**amused**_? Some way or another, Ichigo swore she would get back at them; they were even ganging up, however unknowingly, on her!

Yoruichi couldn't help but laugh at her, causing the orangette to fume and glare darkly at her; Ichigo was too innocent for her own good.

A normal person would have been more awkward knowing Ichigo, who is now a girl, was a boy before, but Yoruichi couldn't care; she wouldn't have believed Kisuke if it hadn't been for his serious tone. Besides, while she had glimpsed Ichigo occasionally when she had been a boy, she didn't know much to mind Ichigo turning into a girl; to Yoruichi, it better had been as if Ichigo turned into a boy if that had been the case. She was already too accustomed to seeing Ichigo as a girl, it would be weird to see Ichigo as a boy. Besides, Yoruichi had experience in people mistaking her for a man due to her other form, it wasn't difficult for her to quickly adjust to another person turning into a girl, but this time permanently instead of just a disguise. Anyhow, it was too easy to forget Ichigo had been a boy in the first place.

But that aside, Yoruichi tossed an item to Ichigo. The item looked like a mini staff or rod with a bird-like skull and four skeletal wings on the top. Then, Yoruichi told her she used that thing to get the injured girl here, and that it was the only item of its kind in all of Soul Society.

"But why is such a precious object in your possession?" Ichigo wondered, looking at Yoruichi curiously. "You can transform, you can heal wounds, you have precious objects..." Ichigo trailed off. "Yoruichi-san, who in the world are you?"

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, "That's . . . "

But before she could answer, a blast of heavy and powerful reiatsu hit them.

Ichigo's eyes widened. She recognized that reiatsu as Kuchiki Byakuya's. When Yoruichi-san mentioned the reiatsu came from the Senzaikyu Shishinro, Ichigo was hit by panic; that's where Hanataro and Ganju were, and they could be facing Byakuya! Ganju may have defeated that pretty boy from before, but he stood no chance against Byakuya, and Hanataro was a Shinigami of healing if his words were to be believed; they were going to get killed if no one intervened.

Zangetsu let out a light pulse, sending his sentiments about her upcoming actions, but he was accepting of it; Ichigo stood up despite the protesting of her wounds, slung Zangetsu on her back and prepared to leave.

"Ichigo! What are you doing?" Yoruichi demanded in alarm.

"Ganju and Hanataro are heading for the Senzaikyu Shishinro! I have to go help them!"

"If you go now in your condition, what can you do?"

"If I don't go, then who knows what will happen to them!" Ichigo retorted, holding out the skeletal and pouring reiatsu into it, making it wrap around her arms as skeletal wings stretch and extended, blue scaled skin growing to form a wing. "Fly!" she commanded, busting out of the cave to head to the Shishinro.

"Damn fool!" Yoruichi cursed, disappearing in a flash to give chase.

* * *

Uryuu glared daggers at the leaving figure of the Shinigami that dared try to 'invite Inoue-san to his home'. That type of guy disgusted him, and he almost wished he didn't go undercover as a Shinigami so that it would give him a 'logical' reason to 'defend' himself and Inoue-san and fill that Shinigami with arrows.

"Arigatou, Ishida-kun." Orihime whispered, smiling at him.

"Not at all. I just don't like that type."

"But still, it's amazing . . . "

Pink dusted across his cheeks as he pushed up his glasses, muttering. "You don't have to compliment me so—"

"I never thought it would go this smoothly. I'm a sharp one!" exclaimed Orihime brightly. Uryuu sweatdropped. It had been Orihime's idea to steal some uniforms to make their infiltration more smoothly, and surprisingly, it worked. It was so cliché Uryuu was looking over his shoulder as if expecting to get busted at any moment.

Smiling happily, Orihime pulled out a little notebook and flipped through it. "Alright now... We got information about the Senzaikyu Shishinro from some Shinigami, so... I bet everyone must be heading that way already..." Her smile dimmed. "And Kurosaki-chan..." Uryuu did not miss the way she hesitated in adding the suffix, and he looked at her in concern as she whispered. "She might be there safe and sound already..."

"Alright. Then we should get going. We have to catch up and support her so that she doesn't rush in alone and mess things up." said Uryuu, walking and oblivious to Orihime's eyes on him.

"Ishida-kun . . . " Orihime hesitated, biting her lower lip.

It was widely known that Inoue Orihime had a crush on Kurosaki Ichigo. Orihime didn't know when, but she found herself crushing on the scowling boy. However, now that Kurosaki-kun changed... Orihime didn't know what to do.

To deal with this, Orihime had labelled the Kurosaki Ichigo of now as "Kurosaki-chan", because it signalled Ichigo was different, it signalled that she wasn't the Kurosaki-_kun_ Orihime came to have a crush on. Orihime felt bad for doing it, but she didn't know what to do. No matter how much Orihime tried to accept it, she just couldn't see _this_ Kurosaki Ichigo as Kurosaki-**_kun_**. In the end, to mope with the shock and the strange circumstances, Orihime convinced herself that Kurosaki-kun was now "Kurosaki-chan", another entirely _different_ person; although she did so unconsciously at the beginning.

Whenever Orihime called Kurosaki-_kun_, it meant that she was talking about Ichigo and not his father or sisters; but now she changed the suffix, therefore subtly, and unknowingly at first, dubbing Kurosaki-_chan_ as _not_ Kurosaki Ichigo. Because Ichigo was always "Kurosaki-kun", and saying Kurosaki-_chan_ was like calling someone who was _not_ Ichigo.

To those with sharp minds, it would be like Orihime wasn't calling Kurosaki-_chan_ as Ichigo, but as a stranger or a family member.

Deep inside her, Orihime knew this was cruel but she couldn't accept this; not alone. Her mind found it difficult to see "Kurosaki-chan" as Kurosaki Ichigo, because it was engraved that Kurosaki Ichigo would always be "Kurosaki-kun", a scowling _boy_ she met when her brother died.

She knew about Ichigo, but she didn't know him like Chad did to accept this so easily. Orihime wanted to know how to accept it. She wanted to know how Ishida-kun could adjust so quickly to Kurosaki-kun changing so suddenly; because she was lost and didn't know what to do.

She had a crush on Kurosaki-kun for a long time, she couldn't let go easily.

"Hm?" Uryuu stopped in confusion, turning to raise an eyebrow at his companion.

"H-How can you accept this so quickly?" asked Orihime, looking slightly guilty. "About Kurosaki-...chan, I mean."

"Oh." Uryuu looked at her in understanding. He knew Inoue-san had a crush on Kurosaki, it was obvious to all but the imbecile him—herself; and he now realized Inoue-san was struggling with this. If he was honest, even he, someone who only became aware of Kurosaki's existence some weeks ago, found it hard to process; one could just imagine how someone who admired the idiot for months or even years coped with it.

Uryuu adjusted his glasses, and he spoke. "Inoue-san, Kurosaki and I just met some weeks ago due to certain circumstances. Furthermore, before I challenged Kurosaki, we were not even aware each other existed. As far as this goes, Kurosaki was an acquaintance, and despite her poor attempts at befriending me, I still didn't know her as deeply as her family or a real friend. When Kurosaki turned into a girl after training with Urahara-san, you could say that I'm not affected that deeply since I didn't know the Kurosaki you know, but the Kurosaki as of now." He glanced at a listening Orihime. "Inoue-san, I don't know Kurosaki that much to point out any differences between the Kurosaki who is a boy and the Kurosaki as of now. To me, they are the same because I don't know the past Kurosaki, thus I don't know if they are any different."

Ishida Uryuu didn't know Kurosaki as much as Chad did, thus he couldn't immediately accept Kurosaki as the same because he didn't know that despite the change she was still Kurosaki Ichigo. However, he wasn't like Orihime, who admired Ichigo for a long time and permanently dubbed him with his own 'title'; Orihime had been someone who knew Ichigo, yet she was a stranger who didn't know the_ real_ Ichigo, thus she can't just up and accept this as easily as Chad.

Out of them, Uryuu didn't belong to either group, he was smack dab in the middle: Not able to accept it immediately, yet he could adjust easily because he didn't know Ichigo that much to point out any differences or struggle with it.

"I see..." Orihime looked crestfallen.

His gaze softened. "Though," Uryuu continued. "I do admit that it took me some time to adjust too. So you shouldn't feel guilty, Inoue-san. You should take your time in adjusting to Kurosaki turning into a girl." Which still had Uryuu curious and baffled despite grudgingly accepting Kurosaki turning into a girl.

"U-Un. Arigatou..." Orihime smiled distractedly, and she turned to walk away as she tried to return to her chipper self. "Say, what squad should we say we're assigned in?" Ishida-kun helped a lot, but Orihime still found it a bit hard to accept all this; with time, she would come to accept it, but now she should focus on rescuing Kuchiki-san.

"Oh yeah . . . "

"We should be able to answer instantly if we are asked, right?"

"Hmmm... That's true..."

The two of them were unaware that they had been spied on by someone camouflaged into a wall around a corner, and they were even oblivious that the person had heard everything they said. Least to say, as a dry paint-like substance chipped off him, Kurotsuchi Mayuri found himself intrigued by the Ryokas and their conversation.

* * *

_**(Senzaikyu Shishinro)**_

Ukitake Jūshirō grabbed the wrist of Byakuya to stop him from presumably attacking the remaining people, namely Hanataro. They were just discussing something, when a powerful reiatsu crashed down on them, making them pause in surprise.

Ukitake was the one more surprised, the reiatsu was easily captain level but he didn't recognize it; it was nearing.

On the other hand, Rukia was breathless with shock, clearly recognizing the reiatsu signature. It was not hard to, having being near it during her stay in the Human World, and she personally felt it lower when Nii-sama and Renji came to get her. Rukia wasn't sure whether to be angry or relieved.

She decided on being confused, when instead of seeing Ichigo, she saw an orange-haired girl who for some reason seemed very familiar; but that wasn't the most shocking thing, the _reiatsu of Ichigo_ oozed from the girl. But it was impossible. There was no way two people could have the same exact reiatsu, but this girl... There was no mistake. She had Ichigo's reiatsu, and when Rukia saw her face, she also had Ichigo's scowl and that fierce gleam she always noted in Ichigo's brown eyes. But the girl, she was clearly shorter, her hair was longer and less spiky, and she was a **girl** for gods sake; yet, that reiatsu, that familiar scowl, those eyes...

". . . Ichigo?"

Byakuya seemed to glare at the new person, but he was as confused as his adopted sister. He recognized that reiatsu, and while he was dimly surprised that Human survived his strike, much less still had Shinigami powers, it was that he saw a _girl_ instead of a _boy_ that puzzled him. It was possible the Human hid his, or her, gender with something, but it should be impossible considering she was much slender than the Human boy, and clearly shorter; a Kidou to hide her, maybe? It wouldn't be the first time he saw such, but he was surprised he didn't sense the Kidou if that was the case. However, Byakuya didn't care about those trivial things, neither did he care to know if the new commoner was the Human boy he had almost killed days ago or just someone, but_ they_ had made their choice.

The familiar yet unfamiliar girl landed in front of her, but she did not turn to look at her as she walked towards Hanataro and set a hand on his shoulder, apologizing for sending him off alone.

Shakily, Rukia turned around to see that orange-haired girl again, and she swallowed down any emotion, "You—" Rukia paused, she was lost for words.

The orange-haired girl finally faced her, but her eyes were darting away as she scratched her cheek; she looked, dare Rukia say it, nervous and awkward. "Hey, Rukia, I came to get you out of here."

Finally, she found the words. "W-Who are you? That reiatsu, it only belongs to one person, but..." Rukia stumbled on her words, unable to bring herself to draw a conclusion. The girl stiffened and cleared her throat, opening her mouth to say something, but Hanataro... Poor, little and oblivious Hanataro beat her to the punch.

"Huh? Didn't you say you knew each other, Ichigo-san?" exclaimed Hanataro cluelessly.

Rukia's mouth dropped open. Byakuya's eyes widened the slightest millimeter. Ukitake just stared.

There was it. A confirmation on the girl's identity. But, it should be impossible. During her stay with Ichigo she hadn't sense any Kidou, Ichigo didn't have the control for it anyway, and knowing him, Ichigo would _never_ let a medic cut him up like that; he'd rather die after murdering the person who suggested it or the idiot medic him/herself.

It was shocking, yet the proof stood in the frozen girl before her, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. Unconsciously, her eyes teared up at that; Ichigo also looked like that when he was caught doing something embarrassing or 'forbidden'. And if anything, it was so Ichigo-like to storm into Seireitei so recklessly, to come to the Shishinro despite there being two captains or being wounded... That would be what Ichigo would do, and Rukia found herself hoping this was Ichigo because she hadn't seen that idiot for a long time; yet Rukia found herself wishing this wasn't Ichigo, because that would mean Ichigo— scratch that, Rukia wished _no one_ was there to save her. No Hanataro, no Shiba clansmen and no Ichigo.

Because they were going to die, and it would be her fault, another mistake and sin added to the load on her shoulders, another splatter of innocents' blood coating her hands; just like that rainy night where she ended _his_ life.

The girl who was said to be Ichigo widened her eyes in slight horror and panic. "What's with that look!? I came here to save ya, you should look happy, not tear up! Don't _cry_, dammit!" That made Rukia confirm it more. She may have only known Ichigo for some weeks, but she knew that attitude anywhere.

"I'm not crying, you fool!" Rukia snapped. "I-If you are really who you say you are, you should know I told you to not come for me! That... I wouldn't forgive you if you came..." Her voice cracked; Rukia knew that despite telling Ichigo to do that, the human wouldn't listen to her.

"Yeah, I know..." Ichigo scratched her cheek, glancing to the side to see Ganju badly hurt, and she switched her gaze to the black-haired prick standing on the other side, looking at them in apathy. "...I'll let you ask questions and yell at me as much as you want later. After I beat him."

"Are you really..." Rukia trailed off uncertainly.

"What? You ain't gonna tell me to back down after I've come this far, are you?"

"But—!"

Ichigo covered her ears. "Lalalalala! I'm not listening!" She peeked to the side see Rukia gaping. "I'm not kidding. I came this far to save you, and I'm not gonna back down." She turned around to glare at her in that so familiar yet infuriating way. "It doesn't matter if you say you want to face that death penalty. I'm gonna save you even if I have to drag you away." Ichigo jabbed a finger at her, scowling and forgetting her nervousness; she was _irked_. "From this point on, _all_ your opinions are rejected! Got that, dumbass!?"

Rukia's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What the hell is that? You're ignoring all of the rescue's opinions!?" Before Rukia knew it, they were butting heads in anger with anime tickmarks. "What kind of tyrannical way is that to save someone?!" yelled Rukia.

"The one being rescued doesn't get to complain!" Ichigo retorted.

"Just like that? You are going to drag me against my will? Are you some kind of bulgar or something!?"

"Shut up! Go complain to someone who actually wants to listen to a midget!"

"**MIDGET**!? Oh excuse me, but are you an idiot or did you not realize that_ you are as tall as I am_! So you are a midget too, fool!"

"This is how you are supposed to thank the rescuer? By insulting them?"

"I never asked for you to help me in the first place!"

"Your opinions are all rejected, so just act the part and stand around and tremble while saying, 'Oh, save me!'"

"'Oh, save me!' my butt!" Rukia's eyes were shut in anger as her fist shook, before she snapped her eyes open to glare at her, "And I do NOT tremble!"

Ichigo stuck out her tongue mockingly, making faces at her as Rukia seethed.

Suddenly they stopped, Ichigo freezing and recognition dawning on Rukia. "You are really Ichigo... You haven't changed a bit, either. You still never listen to anything I say." Rukia watched as the girl seemed to relax at her response, turning around. Rukia, for a moment, wondered what would have happened if she responded in a negative way; and she found the image not pretty.

"Of course. Everything you say is out of worry for me." Ichigo grumbled, yet she was secretly relieved, facing the still apathetic Byakuya. "At a time like this, worry about yourself."

"Byakuya... who is that?" asked Ukitake, staring at the orange-haired girl conversing with his subordinate.

"No relation." replied Byakuya emotionlessly. "She is nothing at all, just a Ryoka. I will erase her, then it will be over. And this entire minor conflict will end." He walked forward calmly, regarding the other person passively.

"You're takin' it awfully easy, ain't ya..." Ichigo drawled, walking at the same time while her hand came up to grasp Zangetsu's hilt; she also thanked him for giving her a sort of support while waiting for Rukia's reaction. Her nerves wouldn't have lasted long otherwise. "...not attacking even while I talked to Rukia for so long."

"Who do you think you are speaking to? Are you telling me to exploit an opening for the likes of you?" questioned Byakuya coldly. "Do not speak out of your league, girl."

They stopped and simultaneously released their reiatsu. Rukia fell to her knees as Hanataro collapsed, both gasping and breathing hard.

Ichigo unsheathed Zangetsu and held the blade in front of her; the reiatsu didn't affect her as it did in the past. If she could survive Kenpachi, she would survive this; too much was riding on her fight to even consider losing, and she really wasn't losing Rukia to those stuck up bastards... well, some were not stuck up, she guessed Hanataro and maybe Ikkaku were cool; although the latter was crazy.

"Oh? Completely unaffected by this much reiatsu, it seems you are not an ordinary Ryoka..." Byakuya spoke, his gray eyes glaring. "Who would have thought you would come all this way to throw away your life... You would have done better if you had not stepped foot in Seireitei, Ryoka; consider your life forfeit."

"I'm not throwing my life away, I'm going to beat you and go home." Ichigo stated flatly.

"I told you not to speak out of your league, girl." said Byakuya icily.

He disappeared.

Anticipating and seeing what would happen next, Ichigo twirled Zangetsu and blocked a Senka, much to Byakuya's hidden surprise.

"I can see you, Kuchiki Byakuya."

His eyes narrowed and he twisted his blade, sending the oversized Zanpakuto flying in a shower of sparks, but Ichigo immediately recovered from the momentum and attacked again, Zangetsu clashing with Byakuya's sword with a loud clang.

From behind their straining blades, sparks flying, Ichigo and Byakuya glared at each other.

Then, they swerved around in a deadly dance as blades clashed.

Hanataro watched the fight with wide eyes. "Amazing... Ichigo-san is fighting on an even level with Kuchiki-taichou!"

_'It's true. The fact that Ichigo can read and keep up with Nii-sama is astounding.'_ thought Rukia. _'But that's only the tip of Nii-sama's power! This... This is but a mere child's play to him!'_ Rukia swallowed, eyes trained on the fight before her. _'If I don't stop them before Nii-sama get serious... Ichigo will...'_

Returning with the two opponents, Ichigo eyed her opponent warily. She remembered how much struggle she had with Kenpachi, and while she had a slightly easier time in the end, she didn't forget how she screwed up when she was distracted for even a second; she wasn't gonna take a chance here.

The memory of Zangetsu breaking and the thankfully intact blade in her hand always served to instantly remind her to not let her guard down around these pricks...

She just hoped that Byakuya wasn't secretly an insane bastard, although he was in her black list for not raising a protest against Rukia's execution. He was her brother for god's sake, Rukia is his little sister and he should protect her, not _execute_ her for something so simple; what kind of older brother does that, anyway?! Oh, right, common sense and maybe morals does not exist in this world; she made a note to check her sanity after all this was—

Ichigo barely ducked underneath another death-blow. Okay. She will think later, keeping her head on her shoulders was more important; literally.

"It is apparent you are more than just an ordinary Ryoka..." said Byakuya. "But you are still a Ryoka, don't get so full of yourself, foolish one."

"So full, eh?" Ichigo repeated in slight amusement and curiosity. "Our recent fight tells otherwise."

" . . . No choice then." Byakuya's eyes narrowed, and he unsheathed his Zanpakuto with a smooth hiss as the blade slid from the sheath, and he raised it vertically in front of him. "Before you became intoxicated by your own power, I shall show you..."

Rukia paled.

"...a decisive power gap that you could not overcome in a millenium of struggle." said Byakuya coldly, his Zanpakuto glinting threateningly.

"RUN, YOU FOOL!" screamed Rukia desperately.

Ichigo blinked cluelessly.

"Chire..." uttered Byakuya, his sword beginning to glow pink.

Just then, Byakuya's sword was bound by a long bandage before he could release his Shikai, the bandage being held by none other than Yoruichi who landed neatly in between the two combatants.

Ichigo looked surprised. Ukitake's eyes widened. Hanataro and Rukia gasped. Byakuya took a sharp intake of breath in surprise.

Yoruichi stood up, not letting go of the cloth used to stop his Shikai. "Long time no see," she turned to face him with calm golden eyes. "Byakuya-boy." she greeted.

"Shihouin Yoruichi." Byakuya looked less than thrilled. With a swish of his Zanpakuto, he tore off the cloth in a smooth movement. "Former Supreme Commander of the Onmitsukidō, as well as Corps Commander of the 1st Squad thereof, the Correction Corps, Shihouin Yoruichi. I have not seen that face in a long time." Byakuya began a stare down with Yoruichi. "You have hidden your whereabouts for over a century, I considered you long dead."

"Yoruichi-san..." Ichigo trailed off, looking surprised at the long string of presumably important titles Byakuya called her by, although former she may be.

Yoruichi peered at her from the corner of her eyes.

"Fool!"

Then, in a flash, she stabbed Ichigo in the gut with her hand.

For a moment, everyone was speechless, some more so than others, and Ichigo stared down at the hand lodged in her stomach, before she slumped forward in a dead feint, Yoruichi catching her after pulling her hand out; Ichigo was successfully unconscious.

"Medicine?" questioned Ukitake, prompting Yoruichi to glance at him. "Goten_ (Piercing Point)_ or Hoten_ (Collapsing Point)_, you pounded some kind of powerful anesthetic directly into her internal organs." He paused to carefully form his next sentence. "What are you going to do with her, Yoruichi?"

"Ukitake . . . "

"Whatever you are going to try, it's useless." said Byakuya coldly, taking a step. "You cannot escape from here."

"Oh?" Yoruichi quirked an eyebrow, looking more amused than concerned. "You sure have learned to talk big, haven't you, Byakuya-boy?" Yoruichi smirked challengingly. "Was there even a time where you beat me in tag?"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed into a dark glare. "In that case, shall we see..."

He disappeared in a blur.

Yoruichi smirked and shunpo'ed away from him while balancing Ichigo on her shoulder carefully. Byakuya tilted his head back, twisting his sword to shred another round of binding bandages, and he glared at the smirking woman.

The game of cat-and-mouse was on.

Except that this time, talk about Karma's sense of humour, the cat was the one being hounded, while the mouse chased after her. One mishap in the cat's steps is death, no matter how agile she may be; the mouse was merciless, even more so after all the tricks in the past and the current circumstances.

* * *

_**(Minutes Later)**_

Yoruichi landed on a rooftop, staring down at Byakuya as she declared, "Three days! Within three days, I will make this girl stronger than you. Until then, we will take leave from the fight. Feel free to give chase if you wish..." She grinned as the winds began blowing fiercely. "But the Goddess of Flash, Shihouin Yoruichi, is still far from being caught by the likes of you."

She shunpo'ed away rapidly.

Byakuya stared impassively, frowning at the spot where Yoruichi had been, but not giving chase. Ukitake said something, but Byakuya sheathed his sword and walked away before he could say more.

"Huh? Hey! Where are you going, Byakuya?" Ukitake called out. "You came to arrest the Ryoka, didn't you?"

He stopped. "I have lost interest. Do with them what you will." He walked around a corner and out of sight.

Ukitake sighed, rubbing his head. Though, he supposed that it meant Byakuya was accepting Yoruichi's proposition. And speaking of proposition... Ukitake found himself wondering about that orange-haired girl, the one determined to save his subordinate, the one who strangely resembled his subordinate.

* * *

_**(In the cave)**_

Yoruichi huffed for breath while she plopped Ichigo's limp body on the mat, and she wiped sweat from her forehead as she fell to one knee. "I suppose this is the price for keeping my distance from combat for a hundred years..." Yoruichi murmured to herself. During her time hiding in the Human World, there were very few times she changed back into her original form, mainly during the times where Kisuke whined and prodded 'childishly' about... _'special bonding'_ time; other than that, she didn't really fight _(in a literal sense and Kisuke style sense)_ since she had to keep a low profile. "I didn't imagine I'd lose my breath from just one or two hundred continuous Shunpo's. I sure have become weak..."

Shuffling up, Yoruichi grabbed and laid a blanket over Ichigo's sleeping form, sighing slightly at the recklessness of her previous actions. Despite attaining more common sense since her first experience as a Shinigami all those weeks ago, Ichigo was still young and prone to brash actions; and Yoruichi found an entirely new meaning to both chagrin and amusement with Ichigo.

While waiting for time to pass, Yoruichi sat with her knees tucked to her chest while she waited for Ichigo to wake up so that they could begin her training.

Yoruichi intended to make Ichigo learn Bankai, the second stage of a Zanpakuto's power, and clearly more powerful than Shikai; though that depended on each Shinigami.

Normally, attaining Bankai required 10 years, even for the prodigies. The most and only known _(obvious since getting Bankai is a requirement for Captain class, exception is Zaraki Kenpachi)_ users of attaining Bankai were the Captains of the Gotei 13, except Zaraki Kenpachi, and they were nothing to scoff at.

And this lesson was not a matter of _want_, Ichigo _needed_ to learn and use the Bankai, she won't survive any fight with the Captains or Byakuya otherwise; it was impressive she got Kenpachi with a draw, but it still wasn't enough given that she almost died. But her fight with Kenpachi gave Yoruichi the thought that maybe Ichigo would succeed in this specialized Bankai training.

Learning Bankai required materialization of her or his Zanpakuto, which was basically the contrary of attaining Shikai where communication and entering their inner world was necessary; Bankai required the wielder to summon his/her Zanpakuto to the real world instead of the other way around. However, materialization was not an easy feat. Many, almost every with some special exceptions, Shinigami required years _(decades and centuries, even)_ to successfully materialize their Zanpakuto, and those that managed to do it would hit a dead-end while struggling with their Zanpakuto's trials; hence 10 years, maybe more, to complete those trials and succeed to activate their Bankai without massive harm.

Unfortunately, they don't have 10 years to complete the normal Bankai training, but luckily, years ago, Kisuke invented a device which forcefully materialized the Zanpakuto to start the Bankai training; one could either fail, or achieve Bankai in no less than 3 days. It was not widely known, but Kisuke had been the only one to ever succeed attaining Bankai in 3 days using the method he invented. Yes, he used himself as a guinea pig; and it would depend if Ichigo managed to do it too.

This method was dangerous and the limit was absurd, Yoruichi knew, but there was no other alternative.

It was a fail and completely lose Kuchiki Rukia to Soul Society and its manipulator, or a success and a chance to save Kuchiki Rukia from death and the puppeteer.

The results of training and others paths depended solely on Ichigo.

Yoruichi wondered if Kisuke was really sure _their_ fates would be okay in the hands of a Human.

Sometimes, even she questioned her lover's sanity . . . or lack thereof.

* * *

**Sorry for the late wake. Busy with exams and other things. Sorry for any mistakes too. This was actually a bit difficult since Ichigo... Er... Well, you know, 'changed'. I didn't know how to make the meeting with Rukia, sorry if it isn't satisfactory.**

**I, myself, am a bit eager to end this Arc and begin the Arrancar because there are characters I love, and I plan to make a twist in there after reading a chap... But anyways, there is character development in the Soul Society Arc and holes (in my POV) where I can add my tidbit, along with instances where I can make Ichigo change. Lol.**

**Can't have Ichigo instantly hear Zangetsu in here. X.X Eventually it will happen, but for now it will be low. **

**I have nothing against Orihime, but I kinda have to make some people struggle with it. And I do imagine it could happen. Orihime is a friend of Ichigo, but she does not know Ichigo _that_ deeply like Chad, hence she can't be sure Ichigo is still Ichigo; they weren't that close to begin with, and Ichigo didn't know of her that much until some days ago... They talked rarely despite Orihime's awareness, period. Orihime has admired Ichigo for what could be like years since she met him in the Kurosaki Clinic when her brother died. She knows him as a boy, hence it would be difficult to see Ichigo as Ichigo after turning into a girl. On the other hand,**** between Orihime and Chad, Ishida is smack dab in the middle, unable to accept it quickly but having an easier time than Orihime.**

**Let's see, about the Kurosaki-CHAN and Kurosaki-KUN thing, well, Orihime calls the Kurosaki family with different suffixes:**

**Kurosaki-san = Kurosaki Isshin**

**Yuzu-chan = Kurosaki Yuzu**

**Karin-chan = Kurosaki Karin**

**Kurosaki-kun = Kurosaki Ichigo**

**It'a like when you say "mom", and how the others know that you are talking about YOUR mom and not another woman, because the only person you call "mom" is your mother; and what would happen if you begin to call your mother by another name? Like, her name instead of the affectionate "mom"? It would be like your mother is not your mother, or like you are not accepting that woman as your mother; Orihime and Oblivious Ichigo's case is like this. **

**So the chart of Orihime's suffix thing on the Kurosaki family, unconsciously at first, is like this:**

**Kurosaki-san = Kurosaki Isshin**

**Yuzu-chan = Kurosaki Yuzu**

**Karin-chan = Kurosaki Karin**

**Kurosaki-kun = Kurosaki Ichigo**

**Kurosaki-chan = IS yet NOT Ichigo**

******To Orihime, Ichigo isn't Kurosaki Ichigo anymore, sort of. Ichigo is now Kurosaki-chan, not Kurosaki-kun, hence she isn't Kurosaki Ichigo anymore; confusing, I know. It will take time before Orihime can adjust to this. In my story of course. X.X**

******Please leave a review.  
TenraiTsukiyomi**


	10. Day One

**Thankyou animelover44163, ****Ogure Michiyo, ****Booklover2526, ****Orchamus, ****artfrogy _(Anonymous), _****Tahaku _(Anonymous), _****Damix96, ****eragonfan117, ****Kleny GingerHead_ (Anonymous)_, ****Phantom Claire, ****bdogrulz, ****Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, and ****nana _(Anonymous)_ for reviewing; sorry if I missed anyone, but I can't seem to find where the reviews begin and where did they end... Seriously thanks for that though. ****I'm extremely sorry for the delayed update... e.e No excuse really, aside from the curse of laziness and lack of inspiration. Nothing I wrote came out like how wanted either, and in the end I wrote this since it was the most satisfying version I could get.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

* * *

_**~~Chapter 10. Day One~~**_

* * *

Naturally, in the face of the situation the two children were alarmed and they raised what they were holding, namely a broom and a mop, in realitation.

"Who the heck are you!?" Jinta snarled.

"U-Um... S-Sir, the Urahara Shoten has c-closed for today, y-you should come by t-tomorrow . . . " Ururu spoke up timidly, yet she was crouched in a defensive stance with her mop in hand.

The shadow just looked at them with a neutral gaze. "Where's Urahara?"

"I said 'who the heck are you?!" snapped Jinta, his broom raising as he prepared to lung and smash the person's face in. — Until a hand griped his wrist, surprising him. He looked to see the owner of the shop himself standing with his cheery smile. "Urahara-san!"

"Children, go inside; I will handle this."

"Eh? But—"

"NOW." He said more forcefully, quieting the children as they dutifully left, Jinta shooting a glare at the shadowed person and Ururu sneaking a timid peek. The door closed behind them with a click, while at the same time the person closed the entrance silently. They faced each other, one looking cheery and the other unreadable.

Urahara laughed jovially, his fan snapping open to fan himself. "My, my, you couldn't imagine my surprise at your entrance, I would have thought you of all people to make a ruckus about it . . . I take it you found out about your eldest child?"

"Yes." was the short and clipped answer from the usually goofy man. "What. Happened?" His question sounded more as a demand.

"Worried your kid is in Soul Society?"

"Me, worried? After everything I taught that brat? No way! I'd rather feel sorry for anyone who tries to get in the way, especially now! Which reminds me . . . " In a flash, the person closed the distance and grabbed Urahara's shoulder in a vice-like grip, his tone cold yet warm at the same time; creepy. "Would you please explain why my kid is a girl? I don't miss the fact that Ichigo began using that freakish collar after your training, and that I caught my child as a girl in the same night; plus, that artefact has lingering traces of Ichigo's reiatsu, and he has no skills to make that artifact or manipulate reiatsu so perfectly." The man's grin was sugary yet it had a dangerous quality; very, very creepy. "Spill."

He winced. "A mishap in training, one I did not expect." A pause. "You seem to take this quiet well, Kurosaki Isshin-san — Or should I call you Kurosaki-taicho?"

"I cut my ties with Soul Society years ago, Urahara." Isshin folded his arms over his chest, staring deeply at the floor, his mind flashing through an event from years ago. "Now get on with it."

He knew that curiosity killed the cat, and seeing as this was Kurosaki Isshin, one of the finest Captains Soul Society had to offer a long time ago, he wouldn't doubt it could happen. It would be smart of him to not prod or push Isshin over the edge in anything.

But who said Urahara liked to play it safe? Plus, he wasn't a cat.

* * *

_**(Soul Society)**_

After raging at Yoruichi and getting logical_ (or illogical; she was sure being a Shinigami and a talking sword wasn't in the logic zone)_ reasons of why the heck Yoruichi didn't take Hanataro, Ganju or Rukia instead, she finally revealed her most important reason of getting Ichigo instead of the others; to train her because she was the person most capable of duking it out with Byakuya. Some speech about the Bankai, the second and final release of a Zanpakuto, which raised the Shinigami's power by 10 fold _(Ichigo was very, very glad Kenpachi didn't have Bankai or that he didn't use it if so) _later... Er... Ichigo was ashamed to admit that she forgot some parts of the explanation, but she got the gist of it and she was sure she didn't miss anything important . . . _maybe_. She got that Zangetsu would be/was always in his released form, that she got real lucky Kenpachi didn't have Bankai, and that she would train 3 days to get Bankai instead of the normal 10 years.

As of now, Ichigo shifted uneasily as Yoruichi continued explaining about Bankai, her brown eyes flickering around the underground training room they were in; for some reason this place really, really gave her the chills. And an uneasy Ichigo wasn't one to stay still like an obedient puppy_ (not that she would ever be an obedient person; hell would freeze over before and beyond)_, an uneasy Ichigo has to do something or she would go crazy, so she fiddled with the red rosary-like strap used to hold her Zangetsu, twisting it and folding it repeatedly while listening to its small and slightly comforting rattling.

Also, there was that creepy doll thing Yoruichi pulled out from nowhere. This thing was supposed to make Zangetsu appear, but for some reason Ichigo found the doll stinky . . . She swore she saw the thing somewhere! Or at least something like it. Maybe another of Yuzu's dolls? Or one of the plushies she saw when returning home or accompanying Yuzu on her trips? Whatever; the white doll was still too creepy. But if this thing was going to help her achieve Bankai, then she's gonna do it without hesita—

"Kisuke made this especially, so we can be assured it is top-notch." announced Yoruichi suddenly.

Her brain screeched to a stop; she could feel the buzzing beneath Zangetsu's blade turning rigid. " . . . What?" Ichigo stared at Yoruichi blankly. ". . . Geta-boshi made that?"

"Presuming you are talking about Kisuke, yep." Yoruichi continued. "Just stab Zangetsu into this and you can forcibly take him into materialized state."

"You . . . want me to stab Zangetsu into that?" asked Ichigo in barely hidden incredulousness.

Now, there was something wrong and suspicious, Yoruichi decided, but regardless— "It's good you get it, now start."

" . . . Is it safe?" The last time _(and the time like that embarrassing justice shit)_ she used one of Geta-boshi's objects, whether intentionally or not, resulted in disastrous and mortifying ends. She didn't trust his objects anymore, even less where Zangetsu or her friends were concerned. For all she knew, this could be some prank waiting to spring up! Ichigo certainly didn't miss several times during her needed breaks in training where there were very, very suspicious looking objects lying around . . . like that trap that looked to be designed for an animal; was Geta-boshi stupid or did he really think she would get caught in a trap just for some _cheese_? She wasn't a rodent period. Plus, she wasn't taking more chances with this; the moment she stabbed Zangetsu into that thing he could be the one to turn into a girl! No way. Ichigo wasn't that cruel to do that.

And even worse things could happen!

Yoruichi frowned. "Now, what's with that hesitation? You want to save Kuchiki Rukia don't you?"

"I do. But is it safe?"

"Of course it is! Discounting your fight with your Zanpakuto, it's safe to use unless you don't get it down in the 3 day time limit. Why are you hesitating?"

Ichigo deadpanned. "Last time I unintentionally went along with Geta-boshi's wacko things I turned into this, and you want me to take it in stride?"

"Well... I guess it is valid to worry." Yoruichi consented, because even she admitted that Kisuke had a few screws loose in his head; it didn't matter he was a genius. "But this is safe, now do it! We can't waste time!" Now that she saw Ichigo's hesitance in trying out Kisuke's invention, Yoruichi decided to not tell her this training ground was made by her lover too... neither that Kisuke was her lover. Ichigo was probably spooked by Kisuke enough, no need to strengthen that fear with herself.

Ichigo nodded with a grimace and grudgingly turning to the doll and, at receiving a confirmation-like message from Zangetsu, she stabbed the doll. Then Ichigo watched, disturbed, as a purple smokey thing flushed out of the white doll, and at remembering this was _Geta-boshi's invention_ she was standing **mere feet** from, she tensed and refrained the want to scurry a few feet back... those 'few feet' being around 50 feet.

The white doll exploded into black, and Ichigo shut her eyes as her blade disappeared, a whirlwind of wind and sand burst out of where the doll had stood, with another reiatsu appearing in the clearing.

In a dramatic swish of clothes, Zangetsu landed behind his wielder silently, his shaded eyes regarding her with a calm gaze; by some freak of nature, some wind seemed to be blowing because his clothes were being blown unnaturally. "I see you've recovered quiet a bit." noted Zangetsu. Being in the inner world and seeing with his own eyes was not similar in his opinion.

Secretly, he was pleased despite his wielder's otherwise different emotions. Yes, it wasn't joyous that his wielder couldn't rescue Kuchiki Rukia when she had been mere feet away, but that man, Kuchiki Byakuya, was strong and Ichigo would not be able to defeat him in her injured state; the main reason Zangetsu was in good mood was that his wielder could_ hear_ him after countless years of silence.

No, she couldn't hear him clearly, there would be no way she would be able to do that instantaneously; but she would gradually be able to, she could already hear his voice however fuzzy it was; and it was better than not being heard at all. That was pleasing to Zangetsu, because it meant that it was a matter of time before Ichigo would be able to hear him despite not having Jinzen; Ichigo already knew how to hear him instinctively.

But emotions aside, he will push Ichigo to achieve Bankai accordingly.

"Ossan." Ichigo greeted, her head turning to the side to look at him. Slightly, she was a bit uncomfortable there wasn't that buzz in her mind anymore, but _meh_ - it works.

Yoruichi folded her arms. "You heard our conversation, yes?"

"Of course."

Yoruichi nodded. "I'll leave the fighting method to you. Can you start right away?"

"Ah." Zangetsu spread out his cloak and kneeled to one knee with a hand touching the ground. An earthquake followed his motion, and a hundred swords of different shapes shot up from the ground. Then, Zangetsu explained the trial. "Of all these, only one is the real me. Only that one can defeat the real me. Find it if you want to force me into submission, or you will die."

Despite the serious situation, Yoruichi made sure to turn her head away from Ichigo, but not from Zangetsu's view, and she smirked slyly at the hidden innuendo the stoic Zanpakuto unintentionally made in his last sentence; it wasn't difficult for her since she used that same phrase with Kisuke many times . . . albeit with more emotions, namely outrage and —ehem! *Cough*— 'joy'.

Zangetsu stared at the cat woman blankly.

Yoruichi could feel her catish smirk widen; Zanpakuto and Shinigami really were the same person, but maybe Zangetsu gets it more than her.

And smothering the laughter bubbling in her throat, Yoruichi smirked and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, golden eyes flickering between him and Ichigo and back again.

First and foremost, the relationship between a Zanpakuto and a Shinigami is that of a sword and a warrior, a master/mistress and a weapon, a Soul Reaper and a Soul Slayer; feelings like partnership, sibling love, or simple friendship could be birthed from the bond of a Zanpakuto and a Shinigami, but_ love_?

It was almost unheard of, extremely rare, but not exactly impossible or forbidden.

Since a Shinigami's primary mission is to kill Hollows, it's very easy to die KIA any day, even for captains although they mostly do paperwork; paperwork included sending messages of fallen Shinigami to their relatives or friends though, along with signing the need to make a memorial sometimes. Ehem! Well, to some people it's a sensitive case, to get a lover, but what better lover than yourself? _(Wow. Yoruichi smothered a wicked grin. That sounded very kinky.)_ This relationship may be unheard of and looked down upon, but the Central 46 doesn't have the guts or idiocy to make this forbidden because it would cost them powerful Shinigami; so it's looked down upon by traditional people, but not forbidden by Seireitei's rules.

Anyhow, when a Shinigami and their Zanpakuto are of the opposite gender, or they simply are attracted to each other mutually despite being from the same gender, they may end up in a love thingy. Personally, Yoruichi has seen such relationships in her subordinates when she was a Captain and Commander of the Onmitsukido; the Onmitsukido were assassins of the darkness, and what better lover for an assassin than their own Zanpakuto? _Hehehe._ Plus, since a Zanpakuto and a Shinigami are stuck together until they die, the mushy term of "Forever and ever, even in death" kind of fishes the dart in aces; no pun intended.

Realizing what she was expressing her amusement for, Zangetsu's eyes widened a fraction; yes he may be a part of Ichigo, but part of her painful obliviousness he was not, therefore he wasn't as naïve as his wielder in matters of . . ._ intercourse_. Yoruichi catched the movement and widened her smirk in mockery. Their source of silent amusement and mute shock was oblivious to their topic.

However, since she was in front of Yoruichi, Ichigo stiffened and looked baffled when she saw Zangetsu's eyes widening and the chilling glare that followed; the direction? Right at herself_ (or so she thought)_. "Right..." Ichigo muttered uneasily, her muscles twitching and waiting to move. "In short, make you submit to me and I get the Second Release; got it."

That made it worse, much, _much_ worse, Zangetsu lamented. He should've chosen his words more carefully around the cat woman. He didn't know whether to be thankful or not his wielder was naïve in these matters.

A choked sound escaped Yoruichi, sounding suspiciously like laughter.

That was an untold sign to begin the test, and both Zangetsu and Ichigo leapt backwards, immediately grabbing one random sword and rushing at each other.

* * *

_**(11th Division Barracks)**_

"My gosh! I was really startled! I would never imagine you would pick me up there, Kusajishi-fukutaichou-dono! I, Aramaki Makizou, am moved beyond words!"

"It was nothing. I didn't really care." Yachiru replied bluntly as she kicked her feet childishly on the bed she was sitting; an arrow went straight through Makizou's heart. Orihime, Ikkaku and Yumichika, along with Kenpachi, ignored them or watched the show.

Makizou bumped into two Ryoka, namely Ishida Uryuu and Inoue Orihime, and in the end had to drag the latter away as the former fought Kurotsuchi Maturi; he had been under the threat of being shot otherwise. And then Makizou bumped into his Fukutaichou, and ended up making up a story to not get into trouble. Makizou thanked every god his Fukutaichou was a kid by any mental means possible, and that she was content with the 'bubbly bubbly' thing he made up; Makizou just hoped his Taichou wouldn't slaughter him for lying to the Fukutaichou.

Apparently, Yachiru seemed to think the exact thing as she smiled gleefully. "I wanna see her bubbly bubbly soon! I wanna see!"

Makizou rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, about that…" Maybe he should start writing his will... His Captain was_ in the same room_ for god's sake.

Thoughtfully, Yachiru brought a finger to her chin as she spoke out loud in childish wonder. "I wonder if Strawberry-chan can do the bubbly bubbly thing too..." She turned to Makizou. "Ne, Ara— ...Ara... Eto..." Her face contorted in confusion. "What was your name, Ara-something?"

"Ah! Forgive me! It is MakiMaki. MakiMaki is fine! It has been 10 years since you have taken me under your wing." said Makizou happily; that happiness was quickly destroyed.

Yachiru blinked innocently. "MakiMaki?" She giggled. "Haha! What a weird name!"

Makizou's eyes bulged. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NICKNAMED ME THAT!" Yachiru laughed loudly and fell back to the bed.

"So? What's the deal then, Orihime-chan?" asked Ikkaku with his hands behind his head.

Yumichika bit his thumb as his hawk eyes locked onto Orihime. "So beautiful..." he muttered. First that cute Ryoka-chan named Ichigo comes to Soul Society, then another beautiful ryoka named Orihime arrives; it was as if it was raining beauty! Although, while Orihime was indeed more beautiful appearance wise, Yumichika prefered the eyes of 'Ichigo-chan'; the fiery gleam in them was unseen in most women, and it was exquisite and beautiful when those brown orbs of hers glittered with a tint of amber. _Ah._ Yumichika was in love. If the Ryoka, especially 'Ichigo-chan', weren't enemies he would've kidnapped them and made them his 'buddies' in beauty.

"Is that midget Ichigo still alive?" questioned Ikkaku, and he didn't miss the small and almost unnoticed flinch Orihime gave.

Instead of responding, Orihime looked sad as she stared at her lap in thought.

From his seat on his own bed, wrapped up in bandages and an eyepatch, Kenpachi grinned madly. "Yeah, she's alive. I can tell. She's alive and tryin' to get stronger. Interesting. I'll help you out, woman." He smirked. "If I go around with you, I get the feeling I'll meet Ichigo soon." Very few people manage to go toe to toe with him, let alone defeat him. Since he was made a Captain, he wasn't allowed to fight the other Captains; some rubbish rule that didn't let Captains to fuckdamn fight each other. But_ Ichigo_... the fucking rule didn't apply with her; not that some pansy rule would stop him from fighting someone who could go toe to toe with him or actually give him a fight worth remembering.

He licked his lips with a crazed grin at the thought of fighting Ichigo again, and felt a shiver of excitement course through him. _Oh yes,_ he looked forward their next fight...

Yumichika and Ikkaku stood ramrod straight. "Yessir!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Yachiru giggled with an excited gleam in her eyes;_ oh_, she couldn't wait to play with Strawberry-chan too!

Well, like some people say: Like Father, like daughter.

As she trained, Ichigo could feel a shiver going down her spine.

* * *

_**(4th Division Cells)**_

Sighing inaudibly, Chad watched as Uryuu and Ganju bickered over their small condition. They were all defeated by their opponents, and Chad was disappointed in himself and his current strength; he should be stronger, strong enough to cover Ichigo's back.

Though, he was happy Ichigo wasn't in the cell. He overheard the Shinigami were capturing the Ryoka alive, and since Ichigo wasn't anywhere in the cell, it must be that she was still outside.

* * *

_**(Hours Later)**_

_***CRASH!* *SHATTER***_

Ichigo grimaced and chucked the broken blade away while at the same time back-flipping to avoid the sword aiming to slice her in two, a hand bracing against the ground to stop skidding before she sprinted off again with Zangetsu on her heels. Something prickled in the back of her mind, and she threw herself to the side, rolling a few times, to avoid another slash strike; Zangetsu was fast,_ really fast_ and strong. Every sword she held broke mere seconds in their lockdown, some lasted minutes but they eventually broke.

Zangetsu, presumably, had summoned hundred of swords and scattered them randomly across the field, and one of them was the real Zangetsu; problem was that they all looked different, and a Bankai trial couldn't be as simple as looking for the sword with the same shape. No way could looking for the sword required 10 years as norm; which is why, at seeing the Zangetsu in his normal form when she was held in thin line with Spirit Zangetsu, she didn't run after it and instead lunged towards the nearest sword; the sword looking like Zangetsu's exact form was too far away anyway.

Think. Zangetsu, at scattering the swords and commanding her to search through them while fighting him, also grabbed a random sword, and Ichigo doubted Zangetsu was one who played dirty. Or was it that Zangetsu knew where the real sword was? Or maybe he could use them because he was the sword, therefore it wouldn't make sense if the blade crumbled when he was using himself...

_On another thought, do not think, just fight_; Ichigo grimaced as a jagged sword shattered beneath her hands after a few minutes, before she jumped out of another strike zone, followed by dodging numerous diagonal, vertical and horizontal slashes.

"That's number forty-five!" Zangetsu shouted as he continued his restless assault.

"There's no way this is looking for the same shape." Ichigo muttered to herself, her eyes trained on Zangetsu and never looking away from her 'sparring partner' as she twisted out of the way, jumping off the jagged end they reached to land on the ground, before she grabbed another random blade and turned to clash with Zangetsu. "If this is the same trial I would face if I did the norm 10 years, it would be too easy, there has to be something else to it."

"Don't get distracted!" Zangetsu scolded and added more strength and shattered Ichigo's current blade with one push; Ichigo's eyes widened, and she barely jumped to avoid Zangetsu digging his sword into her chest. Instead, he cut her Shihakusho partially, leaving a part of the outer black Shihakusho to hang limply while there was a small, thin red line where his sword made contact; nothing serious.

Ichigo exhaled a breath to forcibly calm down, although she was still scowling, and she ripped off the tattered piece of cloth so that it wouldn't bother her with all the fluttering.

"However, you're right." Zangetsu continued, stopping in his assault momentarily. "You must look beyond the metal and see the underneath. All the blades here are pieces of your heart. This is not a mere trial of finding the sword that resembles my true form, but a trial where you must find the one out of all these pieces formed only to fight." He raised his sword, assuming his normal battle stance. "Now move onto the next one, you don't have time to be crawling around!" Harsh and strict yes, but it was the only way Ichigo could force out Bankai at such young age; never mind that Shinigami with ten fold of her age don't even attempt Bankai.

Ichigo, somewhat, understood this.

If every sword here was part of her heart, and they shattered when used to battle, it meant her heart was weak. If she used weakness in battle she would die, and the shattered swords she used represented that, the weakness she was unable to fight with; it could cost her life in battle by breaking her apart, and the blades clearly represented that. So, she had to search her strength among the hundred blades, huh? And the one representing her will to fight is the real Zangetsu, because a sword without a will to fight would never win against someone.

Just as only the shooter can control if she/he wants to shoot or not with her/his gun, the same goes for the Zanpakuto and his/her wielder. A Zanpakuto can only harm as much as his/her wielder wished, and if there was no will to fight there was no damage behind the steel.

"Yeah..." Ichigo agreed, standing up and grabbing the nearest sword to her side. "You're absolutely right."

With a glare, both lunged at each other, Zangetsu with a hooked blade and Ichigo with a sword resembling a saw. Zangetsu slashed at her horizontally, Ichigo bringing her sword to parry, immediately adjusting the weight and ducking_ (not that she had to do much; damn it)_ as the sword breezed past her head; Zangetsu looked slightly surprised as his shaded eyes widened a fraction. With a hiss, Ichigo fired a jab with her sword, counterattacking with a strike to Zangetsu's chest or ribs, the jab nearly hitting the mark if not for Zangetsu leaping in the air, with the orangette ending up striking the boulder behind him instead.

Still in the air, Zangetsu threw down his sword towards her, breaking Ichigo's current blade in half. His wielder was good, but not good enough; she was looking at the broken half of her current sword, which was a mistake. In a fight, one couldn't afford to look away from the enemy or get distracted, and Zangetsu was there to correct that mistake.

He appeared next to Ichigo and backhanded her in the face, throwing her against a boulder and creating a crater. "Do not avert your eyes from the enemy." Zangetsu told her sternly. "That's the forty-sixth."

Ichigo scowled, wiping her chin and grumbling, but not taking her eyes off Zangetsu. She grabbed a scimitar-like sword and lunged towards an awaiting Zangetsu.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi stood afar and watched the battle with a calculating eye, secretly impressed by Ichigo's progress.

At the beginning of the trial, Ichigo always stumbled or fell when her sword broke with the brutal attacks of her Zanpakuto, but she was getting better in correcting her mistake until it was nil. Being a girl with different muscles from a boy, her strikes were fast but she lacked strength, however it seemed that Ichigo got stronger; the more she was pushed into a corner, the harder she pushed back. The strange reiatsu pulses Yoruichi sensed were lessening and condensing instead of being a mess, though from where Ichigo learned to gather reiatsu Yoruichi didn't know, nor she did know why she was even controlling reiatsu; she thought Ichigo sucked at this anyway. Her fighting style was also growing, and the stiffness around Ichigo's limbs had lessened considerably; most likely a saying that Ichigo was getting more accustomed to fighting like this. Furthermore, it was surprising on how nimble Ichigo could be, Yoruichi thought Ichigo would be stiff because she wasn't accustomed to bending such ways.

Those were the unnoticeable changes, but Yoruichi wasn't as stupid as to not notice the jump in _pure skill_ instead of fighting style.

In the light of it all, Yoruichi concluded that it was instinct, but even then it was monstrous; she was growing up at a frightening speed at a frightening level, and Ichigo was still a Human for the sake of afterlife! Weeks ago she couldn't even scratch the surface of a Fukutaichou, yet she was already trying to pass the trial in which it costed almost every Shinigami decades to complete; if Ichigo could grow at this rate in a few weeks... Yoruichi wondered how Ichigo would grow if given the life of a Shinigami.

Maybe Kisuke was right about this kid.

* * *

_**(Living World)**_

Urahara suddenly sneezed, Isshin leaning back to avoid the projectile.

"Oi, at least look the other way while doing that." said Isshin with a huff.

"Oh dear, Owner, catch a cold?" asked Tessai in worry while holding a box.

"Nah. I'm sure a beauty somewhere is talking about me." said Urahara happily, hiding a grin behind his fan while thinking of his favorite cat;_ dogs being a man's best friend was rubbish_! He turned back to his friend. "Now, Isshin, shouldn't you return to your daughters?" But he was already in his own little corner, bawling to a picture of his wife.

"MY DEAR MASAKI! ICHIGO— WE HAVE THREE DAUGHTERS NOW!" Isshin wailed loudly, tears streaming. "THREE LITTLE ANGELS TO LOVE AND NURTURE JUST LIKE YOU WANTED!"

He pointedly ignored that his eldest _daughter_ was more of a **demon** than an angel.

* * *

_**(At the same time)**_

Ichigo suddenly sneezed, and was forced to duck a slash that would have chopped off her head.

"Focus on the battle. Your enemy won't falter for a mere obstacle." said Zangetsu simply, before pushing his sword and shattering her own, simultaneously sending her flying all the way to a boulder with his strength; Ichigo collided with a smack, like a fly against a wall. _Again._ "That's forty-seven. Next."

* * *

Abarai Renji was in a pinch. Not only was he frazzled by the shock his partners gave him, but he had to bear with the decision of changing sides or not. He really wanted to save Rukia, but going against Soul Society was so stupid it was not funny.

. . . Then again, who said that Abarai Renji was the smartest guy around?

He broke his restrains and his cell, knocked out the guard before any alarms blared, grabbed Zabimaru and high-tailed it out of there before any Captains could be after his ass.

By the time he saved Rukia, he would apologize to her and then make_ her_ pay for_ his_ favorite food. Yeah, it should be the other way around, but he was going to risk his neck to save Rukia; gotta get something enjoyable at the end, even though his apology would really consist of spending his cash buying Rukia's own food... But people say it's an eye for an eye, right?

Considering that he_— they_ were alive by that time, of course.

"Ow! Zabimaru, why the heck did you burn me?"

"For being such an ass."

"Of course we will live, dumbass."

"You are the dumb**_ass_** here, Saru."

"Want me to choke you, Hebi?"

"You two . . . "

Or more accurately would be asking if Renji would keep his sanity by the end of all this fiasco.

He needed sake badly, but training and saving Rukia comes first; after that and making sure they were tip alive, he will lung towards the nearest Bar and drunk the hell out of himself.

* * *

_**(Much later)**_

Ichigo clashed with Zangetsu numerous times, blade grinding against blade as they tried to gain a foothold over the other. Ichigo sidestepped a hit and thrusted her sword, but Zangetsu parried it swiftly.

Still watching the fight rage on, Yoruichi noted that each of Ichigo's sword lasted 10-20 minutes, each varying in their own time. While she would encourage the training to continue, it would be bad to strain Ichigo's body for long periods of times, and besides, time was running out for the Tenshintai.

Ichigo prepared to attack again, but suddenly, Zangetsu turned back into the white creepy doll Geta-boshi made, the sword he previously held flying somewhere else. Ichigo skidded to a stop, staring at the Tenshintai in disbelief, as if waiting for the old man to spring back up and strike.

Ichigo sweatdropped at her thought process. She wasn't turning into a masochist, was she?

But, the buzzing missing from her mind when she stabbed the Tenshintai was back; although it seemed, dare she say it, that Zangetsu was_ tired_ and another emotion she couldn't decifer.

Yoruichi jumped off the hill she had been on and landed nimbly on the ground, approaching Ichigo while tying her hair. "Put down the sword, Ichigo. The first day is done."

Ichigo looked surprised. "The first day is over? It's night already?"

"Yup." She smiled a small smile. "Rest for a while, you look like you deserve it."

The orangette blinked, and looked down. Indeed, she wasn't exactly neat in her appearance, but that's what fighting does to people. She had a few scratches on her cheek and forehead from where Zangetsu nicked her, some light wounds on her upper and lower body parts from where he almost stab and sliced her, but nothing serious AKA life-threatening in that. Her Shihakusho was a tattered clothing now, her hair was a tangled and dirty mess, and her wounds had reopened slightly; wow, she didn't notice that. Her hands had scrapes from bracing against the rocky terrain and felt a bit rough from griping a sword for hours and switching. But despite that, she wasn't very bothered and even a sleep seemed like Heaven; but she would relax completely after she saved Rukia.

"Yeah . . . I guess I could use a change of clothes too..." mumbled Ichigo, fingering the tattered collar of her Shihakusho with a grimace.

"After you are rest up training begins immediately."

"Hai, hai."

"Well, there is a change of Shihakusho in a box somewhere, I will see if it's still intact." said Yoruichi, turning to the entrance, her purple hair swerving around in a flash.

Ichigo stared.

Didn't that word meant flash something...?

_"For all that speed you have, it is nothing against** Shunpo."** _

Ichigo's eyes widened, and she snapped towards Yoruichi and exclaimed. "Yoruichi-san, wait!"

"Hm?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, turning to give a questioning look.

She flushed, realizing it was very abrupt, and fidgeted. "W-Well, you see... I, uh..." She took a deep breath. "Doyouknowwhat'sShunpo?" she asked in a rush.

"Slowly, this time."

Ichigo twitched. "Do. You. Know. What's. Shunpo?"

Yoruichi stilled in surprise. "Where did you hear of that? Didn't Kisuke teach you that either?"

"In my fight against Renji. And Geta-boshi only trained me by trying to kill me." said Ichigo bluntly.

"I see..." Yoruichi pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I guess that you have time to learn Shunpo before taking a break; this would be a better time than ever for you to learn Shunpo." Yoruichi smirked. "Don't worry, by the end of this you will know how to do Shunpo efficiently. Or I'm not the Flash Goddess." she assured the unnerved strawberry.

Her words were thoughtful and casual, but Ichigo still shivered when golden eyes gleamed.

Was it her imagination, or was that two horns in Yoruichi's head and a flaming background behind her?

* * *

Shunpo.

It was one of the most fundamental techniques taught to each Shinigami, each with their own speed and efficiency according to their skill; Shihouin Yoruichi was called the "Goddess of Flash" since she was the fastest Shunpo used in all of Soul Society. Shunpo is a movement technique which allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow depending on the user's level of skill. The focal point of Shunpo is not strength, but sheer speed; and Shinigami don't pay attention to that fact and use it carelessly, although there are notable exceptions like Captains or Seated Shinigami, Shihouin Yoruichi is exceptionally skilled in this field with the plus of training up her strength so that it doesn't become a hindrance. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move; those of little skill in the technique or those who have not used it for an extended amount of time would be out of practice_ (depends)_, causing those individuals to be considerably slower, which requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become winded in a shorter amount of time.

However, while it allows the user to increase his/her speed, it does nothing to help the user's sight. It is notable that the user has to adjust their eyesight each time their skill in Shunpo grows, and while none of the Shinigami know that their eyesight are adjusting, it is mostly instinct. Instinct is what guides them to improve their eyesight while in Shunpo, it cannot be the same for while not in Shunpo though; albeit those with experience have their eyesight permanently adjusted to their Shunpo-level, like the Captains.

Consequently, Shunpo is used along with Hohō, which is the name given to one of the four combat skills of the Shinigami and relates to footwork.

Concentration, training and mastery of it can enchance Shunpo, and the foremost practitioners of this technique are those assigned to Onmitsukido, thus it was understable Shihouin Yoruichi, the former Commander of that association, was exceptionally skilled in Shunpo and Hohō; it was also somewhat expected she was a great teacher in Shunpo.

Although her methods were _very_ questionable.

Don't listen to her when she says she's the sane one in her relationship. Both her and Urahara Kisuke were nuts.

* * *

_**(An Hour Later - Underground)**_

Sadistic bastards.

That's what Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi were. _Sadistic. Bastards._

Ichigo, clad in a snuggly towel hugging her sinking figure, huffed and sank more deeply in the waters of a small body of water resembling a hot springs. Her orange hair was sticking to her shoulder/blades and face, and Ichigo brushed her orange bangs off her eyes.

One of her trainers trained her by trying to kill her or forcing her to do so. The second, a freakish cat woman with no decency at all, taught her this 'Shunpo' by not trying to kill her, but by trying to humiliate her.

If Ichigo did not complete any of her exercises successfully, Yoruichi would do something embarrassing Ichigo would like to not go into detail; just know that it was enough to force Ichigo to adapt and learn Shunpo quickly, although she wasn't exactly a master at using it yet since she just learned it 1 hour ago. Still, while Yoruichi-san and Geta-boshi were sadistic bastards who cheerfully enjoyed torturing her, Ichigo couldn't say that their teachings were unsatisfactory.

Only when she dunked her head in the water and resurfaced for breath did Ichigo noticed one thing. Her wounds, be it from her legs or arms or face, were healing. "What's with this hot spring?" exclaimed Ichigo, grinning and splashed the water in a childish sort of glee. "My wounds are healing like crazy! This is amazing!" She paused, her grin turning thoughtful. "I wonder what happens if I drink it..."

"Ichigo." Yoruichi called, standing on side with a small grin, looking as casual as hell as if she hadn't tortured her little student with humiliating exercises. "How's the water?"

With her back to the cat woman, "It's great!" Still, time to test that idea; Ichigo gathered water in her hands and put it in her mouth—

"I see. I'm glad." There was a sound of shuffling, before Yoruichi continued cheerfully. "I guess I will get in too." She dropped her belt to the ground.

—And Ichigo promptly spewed back the water with a sputter.

_***COUGH* *COUGH* *SPUTTER*** _"YOU STUPID?!"

"Fufufufufu~"

"GAH! THE HELL YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"Nanda~? We're both girls, it's aright~" Another article of cloth dropped to the ground.

"IT AIN'T ALRIGHT! AND WHY THE HECK ARE YOU TAKING OFF THE BOTTOMS FIRST?!" screamed Ichigo flustered and blushing red.

"Fufufu~ You shy girl. You act just as expected. How cute~" Yoruichi grinned at her pupil mischievously, and continued in a sing-song voice. "Such an inexperienced thing~"

"S-Shut up! You makin' fun of me?!"

"Of course not, I'm just complimenting you."

"Y-Y-You—!" Ichigo's mouth opened and closed, before she shot away in mortification. "WHY THE HECK ARE YOU TAKING OFF YOUR BOTTOMS FIRST?!"

Yoruichi watched her with a grin, if not a bit dimmed after realizing one thing._ So, it still hadn't sunken in her that her body was a girl..._

It was an issue that wasn't very abnormal. It was obvious Ichigo wouldn't be able to adjust quickly, and by now she could have reach to a point of comfort, but it still didn't sunk that she was a girl_ completely and permanently_. Some part of her still couldn't accept it, and Yoruichi now understood why Kisuke suggested those training regimes to her if she decided to train her; they were to force Ichigo to accept her body. Still, those methods of training were as dangerous as they were effective, and Yoruichi could see it now that she connected the dots.

Torturi— Ahem! Training her little student was very amusing though... Yoruichi looked forward the next time they trained again; and for some reason, Ichigo felt a shiver coursing through her body.

**_*SHIFT* *SLIGHT SPLASH*_**

That snapped Ichigo out of her funk, and she slapped a hand over her eyes in horror, all the while screaming at Yoruichi to not get in.

Then, at hearing a final splash, but lighter than it would be if a human entered the water, Ichigo peeked and twitched when she saw Yoruichi, in her black cat form, paddling on the waters innocently.

"There's no problem if I'm in this form, then?" questioned Yoruichi with hidden amusement.

" . . . Huh."

She turned to Ichigo with a raised eyebrow, hidden slyness in her eyes. "Nanja? A bit disappointed?" She turned to the orangette and taunted. "Come on, be honest. You wanted a peek, didn't you? You naughty girl~"

Ichigo growled, a strained smile pulling in her lips as a vein throbbed in her forehead. "I will drown you, dammit!" she threatened.

Yoruichi just snickered, and swam to the side. Then, everything descended into a peaceful silence, with Ichigo furrowing her eyebrows in thought, seemingly pondering something while her brown eyes looked over the hundred of swords scattered in the field.

" . . . Hey, Yoruichi-san." She finally spoke up.

"What?"

"I've been thinking about it... But is there a way to talk with a Zanpakuto aside from being near death?"

Yoruichi perked up in interest. Unknown to the cat and orangette, a certain old man also blinked in surprise while listening on the real world; not seeing, mind you. He wasn't a pervert much to want to see his wielder in such an indecent state. "Why are you asking, Ichigo?" asked Yoruichi curiously.

"Well, you said that to achieve the first release—"

"Shikai. It's called Shikai."

"Fine. Shikai, whatever. You said that to achieve it, communication was necessary, and I figured there wouldn't be a lot of Shinigami if you communicated with death situations." explained Ichigo bluntly.

"Yes, there is. It's called Jinzen, and it's used for better communication between Zanpakuto and Shinigami." Yoruichi hummed, her golden cat-like eyes looking at the Human from the corner of her eyes; she didn't think Ichigo would ask about something like this. "What's with the sudden curiosity?" A pause, and Yoruichi blinked. "You can hear your Zanpakuto?"

Ichigo coughed uncomfortably, looking away. "It's not as much as the real deal, I can just hear his voice faintly and feel emotions... With what you explained before and that Zangetsu could talk to me without being in death situations, I just guessed, and..." She turned to Yoruichi. "Could you please teach—KYAAAAH!"

Ichigo, in shock and embarrassment, slipped backwards into the water, creating a bid splash; reason? Yoruichi was sitting, in her human form, Indian-style; and guess what Ichigo saw? Nothing pretty for her.

Jeez. Hundreds of men in the planet would die to see that image of Yoruichi, yet when Ichigo gets _the most sacred opportunity_ in the history of men, Ichigo wastes it.

You bet if men discovered about that they would be shriveling and gnashing their teeth in miserable jealously.

"Fufufu~ No matter how many times it never gets old~" Yoruichi purred gleefully.

"JUST TELL ME IF YOU ARE GONNA TEACH ME OR NOT!" Ichigo roared.

Yoruichi smirked, slyly watching the orangette who refused to turn around. "Hum. I guess you can learn it before the next Tenshintai... After the hot springs I will supervise you while you do it."

Ichigo swallowed and shivered, and she faintly wondered if it was a good idea to go to Yoruichi. Maybe it was better to wait for Rukia after she saved the midget...

Ah~ Now Yoruichi knew why Kisuke loved to teach Ichigo~

* * *

Meanwhile, Urahara was locking himself in the bathroom after Tessai shoved some expired medicine down his throat; Isshin was in the other rooms, bubbling and babbling to the pictures of his wife about the situation of Ichigo, and gushing about how he would take some pictures for his sweet wife's album.

Urahara shivered, and silently sulked when he heard more of his friend's gushing to his wife's picture; the traitor didn't help him fend off Tessai!

And now he was in the bathroom, holding his stomach in pain, and hoping for all afterlife that Tessai wouldn't break through the barrier separating them.

Outside the bathroom, Tessai stood with a hand holding his chin in thought; he faintly mused if he should feed his dear friend some remedy to take care of that stomachache of his.

Tessai pointedly ignored that the remedy was probably rotting and completely expired, and that it was already 8 years old; only his special Kido maintained it in recognizable shape.

Urahara shivered violently when his stomach churned painfully again.

Isshin continued wailing and sniffing to the pictures of his sweet dear Masaki.

All the while, Jinta and Ururu watched with a deadpan and sweatdrops; they wondered who were the adults in this Shop.

* * *

_** (Soul Society - Some time before - Another place)**_

A sly and permanent grin was tinted with intrigue and curiosity, and he asked. "Are ya sure abou' it, Taichou~?"

"Ah, yes." A pleasant smile blossomed on his face, and he turned around to face his subordinate. "Admittedly, it would rob us of an advantage, and likely increase the possibilities of Seireitei finding out sooner; but risks come with every plan." He tilted his head, something darker lurking in his eyes hidden behind the flash of his glasses. "Or perhaps, are you doubting me... Gin?"

"Oh no, I would nev'r do that, Aizen Taichou." Gin mocked gasped, but his large grin didn't falter. "Just curious about the change in plan, that's all~"

"Hm." Aizen Sosuke, alive and without any wounds, hummed and walked across the room to sit on a chair, his hands coming up to lock themselves and prop his chin, his pleasant smile not vanishing in the least. "With the reports of Kurosaki Ichigo's unfortunate accident, things change, and plans are in need of arrangement. We need to plan as much as Seireitei needs time to end their pitiful arguments."

Gin snickered. "It ain't nice to lie, Aizen-taichou~" He knew that man, knew he was more cunning than most gave him credit, and he knew that a significant change on one of Aizen Sosuke's pawns wouldn't make that big of a change in his carefully crafted plans.

Aizen just smirked, and said nothing.

At seeing he was not getting a response, Gin's smile widened, and he shunpo'ed away to do his role; someone had to let out po' little Kira out of his cell and try to kill him, Hinamori Momo and Hitsugaya Toushiro, after all.

* * *

**Sorry. Sorry. . I have no excuse for the tardy update, but inspiration was just lost... Although after watching the new image of Ichigo in the Saigo no getsuga Tenshou form on Youtube... I am now itching to write a fic about him. U-U He just looks too cool... e.e**

**I received questions about Ichigo's Bankai... Well, you can wait and see. e.e I am somewhat enjoying the timeline of Ichigo's 3-day Bankai Method, since its where I can add some obvious changes. O-O**

**The thing between Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime and the knowing thing is quiet complicated, as some reviewers pointed out. I just think that Rukia is closer to Ichigo despite Orihime knowing the boy for more time, but do take in mind that while Orihime knew_ about_ Ichigo, she didn't know him _personally_. You can even see Ichigo admitting in one of the earlier chapters that Orihime had been nothing but a classmate and a friend of his friend, there had been no close friendship yet; and since the acts of before the Shattered Shaft Lesson are entirely cannon... Oh well.**

** You can compare the thing between Rukia, Ichigo and Orihime to the relationships of normal Shinigami and their Zanpakuto, or even the relationship of CannonIchigo and CannonZangetsu; both anime. It's like how Shinigami KNOW their Zanpakuto's identity, human form and general knowledge, but they don't know their Zanpakuto personally given that they didn't want to communicate or were entirely oblivious to that fact; thus they know about their Zanpakuto, but they don't know them personally; Orihime and Ichigo's case is like this. Rukia and CannonIchigo, on the other hand, interacted a lot in those 2 months or so, and even if they fought and argued, they got to know each other quiet a bit; it's like the strengthened bond between a Zanpakuto and a Shinigami who actually interact and chat with each other enough to be close friends. **

**And as Hollow Ichigo asked CannonIchigo: _Can you be best friends with someone by just learning their name?_ That's exactly how I am seeing the relationship between Ichigo and Orihime. Before Orihime got her powers and all the Cannon Arcs, when she and CannonIchigo were just students, she just knew his name and common knowledge, or facts she got from Tatsuki's complaining; Orihime and CannonStudentIchigo's relationship was like how CannonIchigo acted with CannonZangetsu. No interaction at all, not best friends at all, just a comfortable enough living arrangement between classmates or Shinigami arrangements, with some one-sided feelings mixed in.**

**Rukia, on the other hand, wasn't like that. She interacted and got to know Ichigo PERSONALLY, made the rain go away and was bold enough to break through the punk. She knows him deep enough, trusts him with her life, and she's not blind to how harsh the world could be; she knows enough from just living in one of the worst districts of Rukongai. Her and CannonIchigo's relationship was very deep despite there being no romance YET_ (please do not maul me Ichiruki fans T-T No insults, just general knowledge I gleamed from all the anime and wiki u.u And here I am talking about the time of before Rukia was kidnapped to be executed)_, hence I don't find it hard enough for Rukia to see through the Genderbent and still see Ichigo.**

**COMMON! You saw the same thing happening in Cannon with Hollow Ichigo! I mean, Orihime was AFRAID OF ICHIGO when she realized about Hollow Ichigo's existence, and she was quivering when CannonIchigo donned his mask. Yet Rukia didn't even blink and approached Ichigo, encouraged him to not fear his Hollow, and if she had any fear she squashed them ruthlessly to help Ichigo. Do note that Rukia instantaneously squashed any fear and knew CannonIchigo was still himself despite it all, while Orihime needed some knocking from others (mainly Nel) to see past the mask and see Ichigo.**

**. . . . . . . . No offense to Orihime, but that's how I kinda want to answer the question of the confusion thing, about how Orihime can't see Ichigo in the genderbent despite knowing about him for years, and how Rukia knows she is still Ichigo despite the genderbend. AND PLEASE, any Ichiruki fans please don't maul me if I said anything offensive. .**

**I forgot to mention it in several chaps before, but I will probably butcher the timeline of Bleach and arrange it to my liking. e.e**

**Please leave a review.  
Thankyou all those compliments and comments; appreciate them all.  
**


	11. Day Two

**Oh god. You don't know how your compliments make me so happy~ ^/^ It gives me the fire to speed up. And now that I'm this far, I admit it's a bit hard to arrange everything. There is a hole in every scenarios, too much 'what if' in each situation. u-u But not everyone is perfect, right? _Right?_ Right. Hahaha...**

**Hope you like the chappy! ^^'**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

_**~Chapter 11. Day Two~~**_

* * *

After soaking enough, Ichigo made sure Yoruichi was looking away before getting out and proceeding to hurriedly change; but she should have known Yoruichi wasn't one to listen. It was in that incident that Yoruichi discovered Ichigo still wore her boxers, albeit it was very big and she needed the pants and the belt-like rope to tie it around her waist; hey, it wasn't like she could just barge in the nearest store and buy one! She still had some dignity, and no man would set foot on that type of store unless they were cracked up.

"Alright, I'm ready for that thing."

"Jinzen. It's called Jinzen."

"..."

Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "This is one of the ways to carry a proper conversation with your Zanpakuto." she instructed. "First you have to place your sword over your lap, take a meditative pose, and then forcefully clear your mind to become one with Zangetsu."

Ichigo nodded and sat down in the meditative pose that she learned when was taking lessons of Karate, and then she placed Zangetsu's blade across her lap.

Yoruichi studied her student carefully, walked across the distance . . . and aimed a kick to her head.

Immediately, Ichigo ducked underneath her attack to avoid it.

"Why did you dodge it?!" demanded Yoruichi.

"You were gonna kick me! Of course I'd dodge it!" Ichigo shouted back with a pissed off face.

"If you dodged it meant you aren't trying hard enough!" Yoruichi thundered. "Now do it seriously!"

She twitched and growled lowly, then gave a final huff and went back to her meditative pose.

Jinzen wasn't as easy as Ichigo first thought. The damn thing needed her to clear her mind, and it was difficult when her nerves were - she was going to see Zangetsu, someone who was literally inside her, for gods sake! She didn't know how a Shinigami could be relaxed with this, but she wasn't a Shinigami despite having the powers of one, she refused to meddle and turn into one of them either.

No, she wasn't disgusted or anything, in the contrary, and maybe even slightly fascinated and nervous; it wasn't considered normal by any stretches of reality to have an old man in her head, even if she liked Zangetsi's presence now that she was aware of it.

Whatever. There were other things to worry about when she did Jinzen. — Seriously, she hoped Yoruichi wouldn't do anything while she was out; really, really serious.

That was her last thought before darkness creeped upon the edges of her vision.

What Ichigo missed, however was the gleeful and mischievous grin on Yoruichi's face.

If she saw the cat woman's face, it was clear Ichigo would have never left her unconscious body in Yoruichi's care.

And, minutes after Ichigo performed Jinzen, Yoruichi paused and glanced to the side, to see a certain man approaching with a calm and sheepish smile.

"Maa. Sorry for coming on such a short notice, Shihoin-san."

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes at him, her expression hard at one of the people who chased her and her comrades out of their homes. She knew this man was mostly innocent, and that he was fooled as much as everyone was, but it didn't erase the slight _-okay, a lot because she still remembered a shy, admiring subordinate who was determined to follow her and Yoruichi simply adored her but had to abandon to not endanger her; Yoruichi knew that person was deeply wounded by her leave but there had been no other alternative_- grudge she had against Soul Society.

Twitching the slightest fraction, Yoruichi tensed and prepared to hightail out of there with Ichigo. This man may be one of the fairest people she had ever met, but right now, he was not a friend,_ he was an enemy_ and a threat to both her and Ichigo.

Yoruichi had been Commander of the Omnitsukido, and the assassins were trained in brutal and dark arts, thus the cat woman was not different from other Omnitsukido in dark arts.

Threats were not to be taken lightly, even more so when it concerned **_former_** comrades because those same and former ties could bring you down.

The man, as if noticing on where her thoughts were intruding, dimmed his smile which had held so much brightness moments ago. "Don't worry, Shihoin-san, I'm not here to fight."

Yoruichi didn't relax one bit, and neither was she one bit humoured at the good nature of her_ former_ friend.

"Ukitake . . . "

* * *

The sideways ridiculousness known as her mindscape greeted her eyes cheerfully. The sky was blue and white clouds were floating about, some with silver linings and others without, the sun was shining down the buildings — everything was peaceful, so unlike the cloudy-like weather she saw when she left to fight Kenpachi.

Still, Ichigo stood awkwardly and wondered on her next course of action. Really, after Yoruichi told her about Jinzen, she didn't really think on her next course of action; it was just learn and do, but after that it was blank.

She ignored the tiny voice in th back of her mind calling her an idiot.

What should she do? Search for Zangetsu? Scream for him? Wander around? She didn't know.

Zangetsu was a puzzle compared to her friends and family. Because — Well — He lived inside her soul, right? How the heck was she supposed to respond to that? Well, she supposed that she should treat him as a normal person, but she knew she wasn't exactly an expert with people; thanks to years of gangs gunning after her and lack of manners, she tended to insult people 50% of the time.

Besides, they were training for Bankai now. Even as she stood in her mindscape, Ichigo could feel the tell-tales of tiredness from the brutal spars; if she was tired, maybe Zangetsu was tired too, right? Right? So, maybe she should leave—

"Ichigo."

"Kya!"

Ichigo slapped a hand over her mouth in horror, whirling around towards the sudden sound; there stood Zangetsu atop a pole within all his black fluttering glory.

Funny. She didn't realize he was behind her.

Zangetsu quirked an eyebrow at her girlish and startled scream, and the orangette swore something akin to amusement crossed his features for an instant. "What brings you here?" questioned Zangetsu. Truthfully, he was curious at his wielder's goal of learning Jinzen. Was it to ask something? Or perhaps questions towards their abilities?

Having been with her since the beginning, Zangetsu knew Ichigo wasn't the oblivious teenager naïve to spiritual matters. Now, Ichigo was more inverse in the spiritual world, evidence being that reiatsu trick which boosted her strength and made his blade sharp enough to cut through hardened reishi; Ichigo was not an expert, but she knew enough and got the gist of their powers - particularly, her Shinigami powers, and that last thought filled Zangetsu with something chilling, something cold, something which dreadfully resembled hatred - and that alone worried him, but he didn't know at who or what that hatred was directed at. However, he knew he didn't hate Ichigo and he felt relieved about that - because Zanpakuto aren't supposed to hate their master or mistress; hold a grudge yes but hate?

Zangetsu couldn't ever imagine himself hating the young_ human_ who wielded and created his power. It was just a bizarre thought.

"Ah — W-well —" Ichigo stammered, mouth closing and opening, finding herself lost for words.

Zangetsu patiently waited.

After some minutes, Ichigo managed to squeeze out comprehendable words, although a stammer they were. "I- I- I was thinkin' about knowing you, or something..." Ichigo looked away awkwardly, a pink tint on her cheeks.

Zangetsu blinked.

"But if you want me to leave it's fine! We are working to learn Bankai, so I understand if you want to rest—" Her rushed and nervous ramblings were cut off.

"No." He paused to make sure his voice was controlled and void of the emotions threatening to burst, and he said a few words that changed their fate from the one they should have had - one where they know not of bonding with each other, knew not of helping each other stop the rain, knew not of accepting each other's help and presence without death situations - like in another universe where everything went as Fate willed it to be - full of naïvety and childishness and rashness and where Ichigo knew not of these mental struggles for in that universe she never changed into what she was this day.

_The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess._

* * *

**_(The Living World)_**

Karin considered herself unlucky to see ghosts.

It was but a reason she was sure no one knew about.

And, as she kept an eye on her twin who was smiling and cooking, talking about their daily day, Karin was reminded on why she rejected her gift to see spirits.

Yes, Karin didn't like how they interfered with her life; _she was content playing soccer thankyou_.

But, there was a secret reason on why she didn't like spirits.

Well,_ several_ reasons in fact.

First of all, there was her twin, Yuzu. Her twin, so different from her own self, couldn't see spirits and for that Karin pretended spirits didn't exists. Being able to see spirits when her twin -her other half- couldn't, being as young as she was but mature for someone her age, Karin realized that it could form a wall between them and for that she rejected spirits.

But that alone was probably not enough, for her, to ignore spirits even though she already . . . disliked them.

Because if it weren't for them, she would live her normal and content life of soccer, stupid brother, idiot father and cheerful twin sister. Because of spirits, she realized years after that rainy night, her mother passed away_ -she was** murdered**, a tiny part of her whispered cruelly and bitterly as her grudge towards spirits deepened-_ and her stupid and caring brother descended into depression and began blaming himself for something she and her family knew wasn't his fault. Because of spirits, she saw how her stupid brother got hurt when he talked to spirits and she hated them, and even though it was childish in her opinion, there was a small part of Karin that was afraid Ichigo wouldn't return one day from fighting gangs; Karin saw enough news in TV and she saw countless patients in her family clinic.

And, ever since that day a car somehow crashed into their wall and they _mysteriously_ didn't wake up during it, Karin noted that her stupid brother acted stranger than ever. She also realized there was something bigger after that, like that time she met that bigass man who wore a school uniform like her brother's.

Karin had an inkling all those injuries, all those strange happenings, all that absence to go somewhere, all those sudden bigger possibilities and danger of her stupid brother leaving and not returning ever again like her mother - Karin had a feeling it involved spirits and it made her more insistent on ignoring them because, somehow, spirits always ended doing something bad to her_ little_ family and Karin didn't want to lose another family like the day her mother disappeared from their world; even though most of her family were stupid idiots who resembled brainless monkeys.

But, even though she knew something was happening around her brother, she pretended she didn't notice - because it was spirit-related, and Karin was determined to ignore anything about spirits.

She pretended she didn't notice, because whatever was happening around her stupid brother, Karin realized that it was something she had no control over, something that lifted up her brother's spirits, something that her stupid brother didn't want her or goat-face or Yuzu to know about.

She pretended she didn't notice, even though she saw her stupid brother, one day, prancing around with a massive sword and kicking the asses of monsters that had masks like those flying spirits who attacked her and Yuzu after they found that weird cat with freakish, bigass green eyes.

It was getting increasingly harder to ignore everything, just a little bit, but she could still manage.

_For Yuzu, for goat-face, for Ichi-nii._

Karin just hoped that her stupid brother wouldn't leave them like their mother.

Yuzu would be devastated, and Oyaji would be more annoying than ever after putting another poster.

. . . Speaking of Ouyaji.

Karin watched from her chair, disturbed, as her idiot father pranced around with a goofy smile,**_ squealing _**about something or another.

It was creepy.

"Moo! You two, dinner is getting cold!" Yuzu, in her apron, cried out with a pout.

Isshin smiled brightly and gushed something incoherent, Karin tuned him out because it would probably scar her and she needed her focus to play soccer tomorrow.

"Hai, Hai, Yuzu." Karin replied lazily and snapped her chopsticks.

There was a missing member of their remaining family, but they took no mind.

They knew Ichigo would return.

_He will return_, Karin resolved as she popped a bit of rice in her mouth.

If not, she will, for once, stop ignoring spirits to find him and kick his ass blue and black.

Unknown to her, Isshin sneaked a peek at his daughters, all the while secretly wondering on how he was to break out the news of his idiot son turning into an idiot_ daughter_.

He admitted he wasn't that much of a good father to Ichigo, with Urahara often commenting that he was more of a daughter's type of father - but Ichigo was still family. He didn't know if Ichigo could deal with changing gender, and unintentionally at that.

Family stick together, but should he — and if so how to — tell his youngest daughters?

. . .

. . .

. . . Meh. He will deal with it when the time comes.

For now, to enjoy his cute little Yuzu's delicious dinner~

* * *

_(4 Hours Later)_

It was only 1 hour. Short and brief, but a long time compared to 5 minutes or not seeing each other at all. There hadn't been much to talk about. Zangetsu wasn't that much of a talker to begin with, and given he was alone during 15 years of existence it does put him in disadvantage during social workings.

Ichigo... she's not exactly a block of sunshine prone to talk about cheesy things either either. They only talked about things they were in mood to talk, it was a bit awkward but it was understable.

Then training for Bankai began, and they gave it their all despite establishing a friendship. Ichigo's goal was to save Rukia, and to do so she had to defeat Zangetsu, thus right now she couldn't afford to waver in her will to take him down. Zangetsu understood, and pushed Ichigo to her limits, always speeding up or adding strength to his strikes — Ichigo ended up smashed against several boulders, cut up in various places, flying across the training ground alright. And that wasn't really the extent of the beating.

But no pain, no gain_ right_?

Right.

Even though Ichigo may have gotten_ a bit_ vindictive . . .

But that aside-

Yoruichi's eye twitched.

Ichigo's eye blinked wearily, sensing a familiar reiatsu a bit away, but she dare not turn away from Zangetsu.

Zangetsu stopped momentarily, glimpsing that red-head Shinigami ways behind his wielder, and he narrowed his eyes behind his glasses.

Renji sweatdropped heavily, seeing that for some odd reason an old man, who he presumed was Ichigo's _(the ryoka girl who defeated him)_ Zanpakutou, was boring holes into him, and he could tell that Zabimaru were definitely not delightened to see the other Zanpakutou either. Their hisses and growls were really aggravating him, although he didn't let it show.

Yoruichi refrained the growl of frustration threatening to burst out.

_First Ukitake, now this brat?_

She will have to go make a perimeter around their area when she can.

She and Ukitake, after an interesting stare-down of a sheepish, guilty man and a wary, grudging woman, discussed some things about the events concurring. After making sure Ukitake wasn't gonna spill of course. Ukitake was one of the oldest Taichou around, and a student of Soutaicho no less; Ichigo and her group stood no chance against him if ever met in battle. Fortunately, Ukitake made a truce with her, and apparently he would fight with them to save his subordinate; and if Yoruichi were to correctly assume, Kyouraku would also tag along with his best friend. Yoruichi knew them from long ago, she doubted Ukitake changed from being that gentle man she knew, although it didn't erase anything that transpired a century ago. Still, it was a relief to Yoruichi, since that removed two major threats to her group.

Abarai Renji, on the other hand, was an unknown factor to her. Yoruichi didn't know him enough to be sure he would keep his word or he wouldn't betray them. It may seem a bit cold, but this was no laughing matter. Aizen Sosuke was moving and no one but her and a few other knew. At least the kid knew he was no match to her, although there was that defiance and strength she saw in Ichigo. But still, the only reason she still didn't lung and twisted him into a position where he was no threat, probably breaking something in the process, was that this was a_ Fukutaichou_. Even though Yoruichi knew Abarai Renji wasn't match against Aizen, he was a match against **_Seireitei_**; and thus while Yoruichi considered the risks, she allowed him to stay in the training underground - because the confrontration was days away and they needed_ anything_ to tip the scale to their side.

Yoruichi knew that Ukitake would keep his word to save Kuchiki Rukia, and she guessed Abarai Renji was also taking the same risks to save Kuchiki Rukia, but Abarai was still an unknown factor to her.

Soifon and Yoruichi are different as day and night. One cold and apathetic, the other warm and carefree; but out of the things they had in common, was that they were skilled members of the Omnitsukido and the Second Division.

And despite everything, Yoruichi was still Soifon's predecessor and the Flash Goddess.

If Abarai Renji made any move to betray them and leak out word of the location of the underground training to Seireitei, and in turn alert Aizen Sosuke, Yoruichi would show just_ why_ she was deemed Commander of the Omnitsukido centuries ago.

They couldn't afford any mistakes, not here and now when they were within Seireitei, the playground of a master manipulator.

And, in the corner of her mind, she couldn't help but sigh at her own thoughts and lament on why she was thinking these things - because there was no choice. Years ago, they were perfectly deceived by Aizen, outmatched and chased out of their former home; every risk had to be taken with assuring their own life - Yoruichi also paid no mind that there was no say for their safety and mental state or physical state after this.

But looking on the other side, it's been sometime since Yoruichi got out to gather info, and currently she was blind to any activities in Seireitei given that she was keeping an eye on Ichigo's training. And that was bad because Seireitei could be planning something and then they would walk right into a trap they could have avoided if they knew about it sooner.

However, with Abarai Renji arriving here, they have a source of info from Seireitei.

"We're outta time." Renji informed them, walking to go to his own training corner.

"We're . . . outta time?" Ichigo asked with a blink, but still didn't turn around. "Whaddaya mean?"

Zangetsu silently watched as the Shinigami stopped just beside them.

Renji was surprised, and he turned towards the orangette. "You don't know?"

She looked caught between a deadpan and a 'you stupid?' look. "Of course, I just love for you to grace me with your almighty voice." Ichigo replied sarcastically.

His eyebrow twitched. "You little twit . . . . " Renji growled, and glared at Ichigo.

A vein popped. "What did you call me, you pineapple head?!"

"Pineapple Head?! Why you—"

"Enough." Yoruichi intervened with narrowed eyes, then turned her gaze to Abarai. "You. What are you talking about?"

"I guess I can tell ya." _Not like I have any choice._ thought Renji wryly as his face pulled down into a frown, previous anger pushed away to be replaced with seriousness. "They changed Rukia's execution date. The new time is the day after tomorrow at noon."

Ichigo and Yoruichi's eyes widened in shock.

Zangetsu's frown deepened.

Those weren't exactly good news.

Renji sighed, and turned away with a grumble. "I hate to admit it, but my power now ain't good enough to save Rukia. And don't worry, I ain't gonna interfere with your training." A little pride entered his tone this time. "I've already mastered manifiesting it, just a little more until Bankai." He smirked, and raised his blade horizontalically.

Immediately, a ball of energy was blasted little ways away as smoke clouded where it landed. And out of the smoke, an enormous figure appeared.

Renji's smirk widened as the tail/Hebi of Zabimaru drifted up beside his head, tongue slithering out threateningly, while the monkey/Saru of Zabimaru stood beside him with a low growl as it glared daggers at Zangetsu.

Like a delayed reaction though...

"The day after tomorrow?" Yoruichi breathlessly murmured. Ichigo had enough struggles obtaining Bankai, the cat woman was already considering extending the training to one day more. Yes, Ichigo improved quiet a lot but it didn't mean it was easy. In fact, by now Ichigo was covered in bruises and injuries, all from** 3 hours** of sparring — Zangetsu seemed a bit more harsh in training now that she noted it.

"You aren't giving out on me, right, Yoruichi?" A part of the sword currently in Ichigo's hand, having endured 13 minutes till now, crumbled into dust all of a sudden. "Weren't you the one who started me on this training? You can't be the first one to give up."

"But Ichigo, you are having enough struggles getting Bankai, there's no telling if you can—!"

"I already told you." Ichigo cut her off, and suddenly a silvery-blue reiatsu exploded around her. "There's no '_if'_ or_ 'can't'_." The rest of the sword in her hand shattered completely, and Ichigo smirked. "We still have 2 more days until the deadline. More than enough time!"

Her reiatsu skyrocketed.

Yoruichi's eyes widened.

Renji watched with a small smirk.

* * *

He was aware of Zabimaru's hissing and low growling, but he paid no mind and studied the girl in front of him.

Before, he grudgingly admitted he was blinded by anger and hatred to sense her — or his? — reiatsu. It was the same as Ichigo, the human boy who took Rukia's power, but—

They looked and acted nothing the same.

Kurosaki Ichigo, the human robber, was a boy arrogant of his own power. He knew nothing about Soul Society, knew not how to manipulate reiatsu like the girl before him. The human boy couldn't defeat him, was an arrogant brat who shouldn't have butted in their business. Renji hated him as much as he had hated himself.

But this Kurosaki Ichigo was a girl, a ryoka who barged in Seireitei with the intention of saving his childhood friend. He had thought she was a friend of the human brat, but then he found out she was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo himself — or herself? Tch. If he was honest, Renji was a bit grateful to this ryoka.

Renji wondered, how was he to act to it? To the fact that the human he hated and the ryoka he was grateful to, were the same person?

Inside him, every time he thought of Kurosaki Ichigo, _that human boy_, he always had this seething anger because if he never took Rukia's powers this would never happen; but he was jealous of him too, because Rukia laughed and cried_ for_ him and Renji had never been more jealous than that moment. However, when he thought of Kurosaki Ichigo, _the ryoka girl_, he found he couldn't really hate her like he hated her — or his? — other 'boy counterpart'.

It was difficult to see them as the same person.

The human was a male. He was arrogant. He was a brat. He knew nothing about reiatsu or knowing his boundaries, knew nothing about controlling reiatsu or even manipulate it in the easiest way.

The ryoka was a girl. She was cocky but not arrogant. She was a brat too, but not one oblivious to the fact that Soul Society existed and that the Shinigami were not just some kids to knock around. She knew how to control reiatsu to an extent, he found out later when Zabimaru informed it of him; that explained how the girl didn't collapse under his strikes.

Renji could go on and on about their differences, and one of them were flaring a big red target.

Kurosaki Ichigo, _the human boy_, couldn't defeat him even when his power was sealed.

Kurosaki Ichigo,_ the ryoka girl_, defeated him even when he gave it his all.

And Renji couldn't help but see them as different person, because what if Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't defeat him as a male? What if being a girl made Kurosaki Ichigo stronger? What if— What if— What if—

. . . What if Kurosaki Ichigo was too weak, too stupid, too naïve to Soul Society's power, if she — or he? — was a boy instead?

There were just too much 'What if?' in the human boy and the ryoka girl. For that, Renji decided, he would keep the human boy out of his mind, and instead focus on the fact that this ryoka girl was the real—_ was the Kurosaki Ichigo of today_.

And when he saw the girl who defeated him grin and declare she would obtain Bankai in less than 2 days, a feat which Shinigami who could be her many-times-great-grandfather couldn't even_ dream_ of doing, he officially dubbed her as Kurosaki Ichigo.

To him, the human boy who was once Kurosaki Ichigo was not_ this_ Kurosaki Ichigo, the girl who was strong and beautiful and who looked so much like Rukia—

Kurosaki Ichigo.

Kurosaki Ichigo was not a human boy anymore, she may have been once before, or tricked him into believing it, but she wasn't anymore — Renji accepted it easily because it wasn't difficult to _replace nothing with nothing._

Kurosaki Ichigo was a girl, a ryoka who invaded Seireitei to save his childhood friend, someone who he was indebted to.

_'Tch. Finally you toned down those useless thoughts'_

Renji blinked. _'Zabimaru . . . '_

_'Shut up and get off your ass. We have to train for Bankai as soon as possible!'_

_'. . . Ah.' _Renji quirked his lips into a small smirk. His partners were always a headache, but they were his partners and he couldn't really imagine being without them — although sometimes he wished they left him alone form their bickering, especially during Fukutaichou meetings; although, he supposed, there was a possibility of not being able to return to those meetings anymore.

He had a resolve, and it was to save Rukia.

Screw being Fukutaichou even though he spend decades trying to get the seat, or a member of a Division despite being respected and admired by hundreds, or someone who should follow the rules for a Shinigami is always following the rules—

Rukia was more important than any of those combined.

Their friends from_ that_ District were already dead, he couldn't lose Rukia too.

Renji sighed, and said. "Well, I'm off to train."

Yoruichi nodded slowly. "Thankyou for telling us, Abarai."

Renji looked a bit uncomfortable, but nodded warily and turned away to go to his training spot.

"Wait, Renji!"

He paused, and turned to quirk an eyebrow at_ Ichigo. _"Whaddaya want, Strawberry?"

A vein popped. "You bastard—"

"Ichigo." Zangetsu looked stern, and not because it was impolite, but because she couldn't lose her cool so fast — not that he had much luck digging that lesson in her. But practice makes perfect, or in this case, progress.

Or so he hoped.

She twitched and took a deep breath, "Renji, when you fought me, why didn't you use Shunpo since the beginning?"

Zabimaru froze.

Renji turned rigid.

Yoruichi blinked incredulously.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Ichigo's eye twitched, looking irritated. "Well?"

Renji coughed, before looking away and mumbling something.

They stared at him blankly.

"I may have . . . " Renji winced. " . . . forgotten it . . . for a while..."

Ichigo's jaw dropped.

Yoruichi sighed, wondering if Shinigami of these age really regressed since her time.

Zabimaru was fuming, pointedly ignoring that it forgot that tid bit too and instead vowing to make Renji experience hell. Becase he fucking forgot, they lost! It couldn't be counted as being not fair, because if something like these happened in another battle, you could forget and then there was no time to whine about 'not fair' because why would the enemy care? It would be the same if forgetting an attack, so the fact that Renji forgot didn't change that Zangetsu's brat defeated Renji.

Zangetsu wasn't bothered.

Then, the next moments were the show of Ichigo blowing a fuse, Renji yelling back curses, Zangetsu standing still, Zabimaru cursing Renji mentally, and then it quickly ended when Yoruichi roared at them to begin training.

* * *

**_(Senzaikyu Shishinro)_**

_It was raining._

_"Kaien-dono?"_

_Blood. Crimson blood. Innocent blood. **His** Blood._

_His blood was on her hands, on the ground, on her clothes and he was—_

_"Kaien-dono...?!"_

_He couldn't be dead, but _oh_ he was and it was her fault — all her fault._

_"KAIEN-DONOOO!"_

Rukia's eyes snapped open.

_'That dream again... No, it was a memory — of_ that _night . . .'_

* * *

**_(2 hours after)_**

Ichigo grimaced, and rolled to avoide being impaled.

Stopping momentarily, Zangetsu's frown deepened. "Stand up, Ichigo."

"Yeah." She spat more sand out of here mouth, getting up with a scowl deeper than ever, secretly reprimanding herself.

Zangetsu gave an inaudible sigh, and told her. "You will have to adapt quickly, there's no time already, Ichigo. Do or die, it's you choice."

Actually, using Shunpo normally was easy for her, but it was an entirely different thing when used_ in battle_; Ichigo quickly found out when she tried to use Shunpo against Zangetsu. Friendship there may be, but they agreed it would be put aside to train. Shunpo-ing across the field while battling was not easy. One had to move quickly, when both blurring through insane speeds and instantaneously stopping; and it was not easy in battle, because the slightest hesitation was fatal and Zangetsu brutally showed her that truth.

Two hours in the training, making it 5 hours of training in total, and Ichigo was sporting more wounds than she had the entire day before.

"I'm trying!" she hissed at her Zanpakuto spirit, letting frustration at her incapability to use Shunpo in battle show.

"Not hard enough," countered Zangetsu, his eyes narrowing and lips frowning; Ichigo hated that image, because she hated letting others down and it was confusing she hated letting Zangetsu down.

Still, she was frustrated and if it didn't show in her face it showed in her next deep-sated growl; she grabbed the nearest blade and shunpo-ed towards him.

Minutes later, once again, she was left wincing and rolling around the grounds to avoid being stabbed. There was no mercy, and she felt glad because it was the last thing she needed in this training.

Still, she was frustrated by her inability to use Shunpo as efficient as she would like.

Going around in her average speed without Shunpo was as easy as breathing now, but it all changed when she wanted to go at her _highest_ speed while using Shunpo; it just didn't work and shit hit the fan. Ichigo didn't like it at all. She had to get Shunpo down and _master it_, because seeing this from her angle, Shunpo was a speed-based thing and it would help her since she was mostly speed-type build; although it was Yoruichi who suggested she mastered Shunpo, and she totally agreed with her after the cat woman explained what she could from observing the orangette spar with her zanpakuto. Her strength was weak, and while she still trained with upping her strength, that progress was slower than training up her speed; besides, learning Shunpo had more pros than cons, and she had nothing to lose if she learned or tried to master it.

The mistakes, although still glaringly obvious, got less and less; and Ichigo was dissatisfied. She needed Shunpo. She had to be able to use it with her highest speed, because with Shunpo, even if not going at her highest speed, gives her an edge in battle and since almost every Shinigami know Shunpo, it would be dumb to not learn it given that even a less-than average Shunpo gave her difficulty — Yoruichi pointed that out, and then Ichigo imagined what a _mastered Shunpo_ would be like and she decided she** had** to master Shunpo or_ she was screwed_.

After all, if a simple Shunpo let a Shinigami move beyond what eye could follow...

Ichigo knew her highest speed was 'higher than average', and if a Shunpo at complete _average_ level made the person fucking **dissapear**, things could just go insane if a person with speed_ higher than average_ used it.

You guessed how baffled Ichigo was when Yoruichi flipped her over in an instant; it was a second and she was defeated, and that was a demonstration of a simple Shunpo.

The teasing that followed was embarrassing and not worth her fire at wanting to finish training.

Zangetsu frowned. "You can do it."

"How would you know?" Ichigo groused.

He tilted his head as his eyes drilled into his wielder. "You relearned how to be active in one day, did you not? Years honed of battle skills all relearned in a few hours."

" . . . That's different."

Zangetsu shook his head. "It's not. Remember, Ichigo, how is it that you knew how to balance your body when you fought Urahara Kisuke in the final test? How is it you managed to function normally, when hours later you were struggling to walk?"

"..." Ichigo furrowed her brows, and really thought about it.

In the last Lesson, the one after the Shattered Shaft, she had to knock off Geta-boshi's hat; she remembered moving around the training ground, albeit now that she thought about it, she had been going faster than normal.

Zangetsu was right. She had been able to handle the blade and sprint normally, but hours later, when she woke up and realized what happened to her body she couldn't so much as walk without stumbling.

_**'Instinct'**_

Instinct was a feeling engrained deep inside ever breathing being. Instinct is the so-called bad feelings Humans have, it's what shows the babies how to walk and talk, how to take their first breath upon birth, how to drink milk from their mothers.

Instinct is something Shinigami retain from their Human life, it's a trait that even a Konso can't erase.

Instinct is everything a Hollow has, their weakness and their strength, it's of which how they learn to fire Cero's or know what kind of substance they need; their survival instinct.

Ichigo's eyes widened, and something inside her clicked.

And then she remembered, her first moments as a girl can be best described those of a baby taking their first steps. Her balance was totally off, her body wasn't the same anymore, she was shorter in stature; so how could she fight Urahara right after she got out of the Shattered Shaft, yet struggle hours later with walking? It's simple, and it all narrows down to Instinct, because even though her body was unfamiliar and new, her instincts were manipulating her body the right way to run, walk or fight during the short time.

"Instinct..." Ichigo breathed in realization.

Then, Ichigo was hit by another thought.

She had difficulties with Shunpo, a technique of which she learned just hours ago; there were already consequences shown because she didn't grasp it completely to use in battle. Use it for some time, sure; but too long and she was already figured out.

What of Bankai?

This was the second day, if she learned Bankai by tomorrow it would leave her at least a few hours to train, or worse go to fight right when she learned it; and shit would begin if using Bankai was the same as Shunpo.

**_'Inexperience? Instincts are enough!'_**

Ichigo ignored it, and furrowed her brows.

She didn't know how to use Shunpo, and it was inexperience.

She was inexperienced; and she was not talking about Yoruichi's teasing.

Because she was inexperienced at using Shunpo in battle, she was getting her ass kicked. And if she was inexperienced with her Bankai, what would happen? By then it would be too late, too much would be riding on her shoulders to lose by that time.

Her decision was made, and even if it would hurt like a bitch, she had to do it to save Rukia.

"Zangetsu-ossan," Ichigo began seriously. "Is there any way we can obtain Bankai today?"

He paused, eyes widening slightly; but just as soon as he processed it, he calculated it.

". . . Possible, but the training will be far harsher."

"I don't care." Ichigo told him. "I don't care how hard it is or how much it will hurt; we have to to it today."

Zangetsu studied her for a few seconds, then he closed his eyes, feeling an unknown emotion, and dipped his head slightly. "Ah."

Ichigo wanted to get Bankai, and thy he would push her to achieve it.

Zangetsu's mind flashbacked to a grinning, bitter-looking, amber-eyed demon, and he grew slightly solemn on the inside.

**_Ichigo is our Queen, Zangetsu-san._**

**_And ya know a Queen's whim has ta 'ways be obeyed. _**

**_I'm the Queen's horse, ya know?_**

**_But soon enough, Zangetsu-san..._**

**_Soon . . ._**

**_It will change._**

**_And there will be no Queen._**

Zangetsu readied his blade, his glasses flashing and hiding his eyes, and he acknowledge some of that Hollow's words.

He has a world, a world in where he lived and protected, but in the end Ichigo created that world and ruled that world. Ichigo made that world work, prosper and shine; he nor that Hollow couldn't, and maybe that's why that Hollow called Ichigo Queen.

Because, in the end, that inner world of skyscrapers was Ichigo herself.

Her Kingdom, and she was the Queen.

His mission was to protect his world, but Ichigo was his wielder, and he was a Zanpakuto.

Ichigo doesn't know yet how a Zanpakuto and a Shinigami interact daily, and while Zangetsu was glad she wasn't like those ignorant Shinigami, this also meant she didn't know what type of power she could have over her own Zanpakuto.

And if she wished to train harder, harsher, faster to obtain Bankai — Zangetsu could do nay but obey.

_Because a Zanpakuto always obeys their master or mistress._

* * *

_**(In an unknown place)**_

In a dark place, with walls on either side, with no windows or doors that could lead outside this little room, there was a figure sitting with their back against the wall.

Half-lidded eyes cracked open a bit, and they stared at nothing with a blankness that could chill people to their very bones.

Those eyes seemed to stare at something afar; seeing yet unseeing.

Then, a gleam of something entered them, vaguely resembling tiredness and acceptance, and with that the eyes closed.

* * *

**The time to learn Bankai is 72 hours. Ichigo spent the first 24 hours (Day One) trying to achieve Bankai, entered the hotspring and learn Shunpo; it was between Day One and Day Two that Ichigo attempted to do Jinzen. If you ask, it would be most likely in the latest hours of the first Day, or the early hours of the second Day; do note that while Ichigo achieve Jinzen, and while it increased communication without the need of Jinzen, she's by no means a master and still has a bit of difficulty entering her world without struggling. It would be very hard for Kurosaki Ichigo to clear her mind, after all. e.e**

**Without Aizen's interference, if Ichigo completed the 3 day trial, she would still have 8 days to rescue Rukia - but Aizen changed the date to the day after the 3rd day of training. Reasons to that are my own. e-e Can't exactly reveal eveything. **

**Also, when I explained the thing between Orihime, Rukia and Ichigo, I meant them seeing on the issue of Ichigo's genderbent, not their general life thing. Also, in the previous chapter, about Orihime having only know Ichigo's general knowledge and rumours ect, I meant those before Ichigo's life went jackshit; Orihime wasn't his friends or knew him when Ichigo didn't met Rukia yet, but by now, with all the chaos and close proxy, you could guess that Orihime is ichigo's friend. **

**When I said Orihime hadn't been Ichigo's friend, I MEANT WHEN RUKIA OR SHINIGAMI OR HOLLOWS DIDN'T COME IN; before the Soul Society Arc, I say Orihime wasn't Ichigo's friend, but amidst it all and after saving Rukia, you could guess that they became sort of friends, but not close enough for Orihime to see through Ichigo like Chad or Rukia. Right now, Orihime and Ichigo's friendship is a fresh step away from just acquatances or classmates.**

**Hope there isn't that much of OOC, because even I know there is bound to be some OOC. I plan to write the events different, thus while I will try to make them as in character as possible, I can not guarantee if they take different actions. But it also doesn't necesarily mean everything will go different. SOme may stay the same, some may not. **

**Also, any suggestions on the plot are welcome! Actually, this is serious. I would like suggestions on what type of scenario write so that some relationships bond more than cannon. As you see, I don't go out of my house — scratch that, I don't even go out of my own ROOM 95% of the time, so I guess my social abilities are a bit stunted? Sure, I can write normally and so, but if I stand in front of someone I don't make a sound and practically disappear - although there was that time I unintentionally gave my cousin a scare..****. And since I don't go out often, I can't know which place are perfect for this and that and blablabla. Like the Cine. Dx I got the idea of using the Cine, but THEN I remembered that couples use the Cine, and I'm worried and so... But to put it short, my social interactions are shit and I need help, because I don't know much about the 'outside world'. e.e I'm pathetic, I know, so there won't be no need to tell me in a review.**

**Also, does someone know how the schedule of Japan schools are like? I'm confused about that. It would be much thanks if you can tell me.**

**I wanted to finish this chapter and post it before today, luckily I completed it in record time with minutes to spare. I'm boarding an airplane again, so I will be gone for 3 days with NO ALAPTOP and NO FANFICTION; my heart broke at the thought of going so much time without dear Fanfiction. T-T SOme of you can understand, right? Right. I love you~!**

**Ehem. Anyway, since I'm gonna go to be in an airplane for 3 days in... 30 minutes, earlier I decided to post this chapter sooner. Actually, this chapter is not rushed, depends, since I already had this for 2 days - it's just that I wanted it to be longer, but I figured that since most chaps are 3k or so, this should be long enough to be considered such. EHem. This part is already checked several times, and I hope you like it although it was shorter than I intended - I wanted it to be longer to make up for the long updates, but then thought about it and instead decided to update today. **

**Now that I think about it, the other parts wouldn't really fit in Day Two, and would fit better in Day Three AKA the Next Chapter, so...**

**. . . I was wondering if any of you wondered about the thing of the first chapter, the one where Ichigo could RUN and FIGHT against Urahara when she had to knock off his hat in the Third lesson, but stumble when she tried to WALK. Hahaha...**

**Please leave a Review!**


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